Big season means big bonus pay for Iowa assistants
The Iowa football coaching staff has been given a lot of credit for helping the 2015 Hawkeyes assemble a school-record 12 victories. In addition to pats on the back, they're also getting padded wallets.
Kirk Ferentz's assistant coaches are in line for bonuses worth 3.5 months' salary after reaching the Big Ten Conference championship game (worth one month's pay) and Rose Bowl bid (worth 2.5 months' pay), according to the terms of the head coach's contract.
For coordinators Greg Davis (offense) and Phil Parker (defense), Iowa's top-paid assistants with $515,036 in 2015 base pay, that means a bonus of $150,218 apiece.
Earnings for the nation's public-school FBS assistant coaches were released Wednesday by USA TODAY Sports. The salary database showed Iowa to be competitive in assistants' compensation inf 2015. At a combined $3.049 million in base pay, Iowa ranks fifth out of 12 public Big Ten schools behind Michigan ($4.248 million), Ohio State ($4.021 million), Nebraska ($3.45 million) and Michigan State ($3.195 million). Iowa ranks 27th nationally, according to USA TODAY Sports.
USA TODAY DATABASE: Assistant coaches' salaries
Iowa's nine full-time assistant coaches, strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle and top assistant Raimond Braithwaite, and director of football operations Paul Federici also would be in line for a 16 percent raise if Iowa finishes in the top five of the final national poll. Iowa is currently No. 6 in the Associated Press poll and will face No. 5 Stanford in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 1. A win there would virtually guarantee that 16 percent boost. If Iowa finishes sixth through 10th in the final poll, the annual salary increase becomes 14 percent; 11th through 15th warrants a 12 percent raise.
A 16 percent increase for the coordinators would escalate their annual base pay to nearly $600,000. Davis and Parker were tied for the No. 66 assistant coach salary in FBS, according to USA TODAY.
They were followed by linebackers coach Jim Reid ($335,000), run-game coordinator/offensive line coach Brian Ferentz ($317,500), defensive line coach Reese Morgan ($317,500), wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy ($305,000), running backs coach Chris White ($294,000), tight ends coach LeVar Woods ($250,000) and recruiting coordinator Seth Wallace ($200,000).
HOW IOWA RANKS IN THE BIG TEN
A look at total base assistant coach pay among the 12 public-school teams in the Big Ten Conference (excludes Northwestern, Penn State) reported Wednesday by USA TODAY Sports, with national ranking listed first:
8. Michigan -- $4.248 million
9. Ohio State -- $4.021 million
19. Nebraska -- $3.450 million
24. Michigan State -- $3.049 million
27. Iowa -- $3.049 million
31. Minnesota -- $2.932 million
35. Maryland -- $2.783 million
40. Wisconsin -- $2.632 million
41. Rutgers -- $2.609 million
47. Indiana -- $2.317 million
49. Purdue -- $2.245 million
56. Illinois -- $2.011 million