Ohio State head coach Ryan Day received a contract extension and hefty raise last month after leading the Buckeyes to a 13-1 record, Big Ten championship and berth in the College Football Playoff in his first season as head coach.
The university also rewarded his staff for their role in that success, announcing the salaries and terms for the 10 full-time assistant coaches on Monday afternoon.
“I couldn’t have been more impressed with the performance of our coaching staff under the direction of Ryan Day in 2019,” athletic director Gene Smith said in a statement. “What they accomplished both on the field and in the way they led and mentored our students-athletes was exemplary. We look forward to much of the same in 2020.”
The assistants will make just under $8 million combined in 2020, with four assistants earning more than $1 million each.
Defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs will be the Buckeyes’ highest-paid assistant with a $1.4 million salary — a $900,000 increase from his salary as cornerbacks coach in 2017. He returns to Columbus following a two-year stint with the Tennessee Titans and replaces co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach Jeff Hafley, who is now the head coach at Boston College.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson is the highest-paid returning assistant, meanwhile, and will make $1.2 million this season. He was one of three assistants, including Hafley and former passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich, to make $950,000 last year.
Co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison and associate head coach/defensive line coach Larry Johnson will both make $1.133 million in 2020, up from $1.1 million and $900,000, respectively, last season.
According to the USA Today college football salary database, 24 assistants made more than $1 million last season. Five schools including Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, South Carolina and Tennessee had multiple assistants above that mark, though the Tigers were the only school with three.
Offensive line coach Greg Studrawa, wide receivers coach Brian Hartline and special teams coordinator/assistant secondary coach Matt Barnes also received six-figure raises to put them at $700,000, $550,000 and $450,000, respectively.
Running backs coach Tony Alford received a $18,000 raise, brining his salary to $618,000. Linebackers coach Al Washington went from $500,000 to $515,000, while first-year quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis rounds out the staff at $300,000. Dennis earned $105,000 last season for his role as senior offensive quality control coach.
Coombs, Wilson, Johnson, Studrawa, Hartline, Barnes and Dennis received new two-year contracts, while Alford’s deal is for one year. Mattison and Washington, meanwhile, are entering the second season of the two-year contracts they signed last year.
Check out the full breakdown of Ohio State’s assistant salaries below:
| NAME | TITLE | 2019 SALARY | 2020 SALARY | INCREASE | CONTRACT THROUGH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KERRY COOMBS | DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR/SECONDARY COACH | N/A | $1,400,000 | N/A | 2022 |
| KEVIN WILSON | OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/TIGHT ENDS COACH | $950,000 | $1,200,000 | $250,000 | 2022 |
| GREG MATTISON | CO-DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR | $1,100,000 | $1,133,000 | $33,000 | 2021 |
| LARRY JOHNSON | ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH/DEFENSIVE LINE COACH | $900,000 | $1,133,000 | $233,000 | 2022 |
| GREG STUDRAWA | OFFENSIVE LINE COACH | $600,000 | $700,000 | $100,000 | 2022 |
| TONY ALFORD | ASSISTANT HEAD COACH FOR OFFENSE/RUNNING BACKS COACH | $600,000 | $618,000 | $18,000 | 2021 |
| BRIAN HARTLINE | WIDE RECEIVERS COACH | $360,000 | $550,000 | $190,000 | 2022 |
| AL WASHINGTON | LINEBACKERS COACH | $500,000 | $515,000 | $15,000 | 2021 |
| MATT BARNES | SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR/ASSISTANT SECONDARY COACH | $350,000 | $450,000 | $100,000 | 2022 |
| COREY DENNIS | QUARTERBACKS COACH | $105,000 | $300,000 | $195,000 | 2022 |
