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Ohio State Football: It ‘pays’ to be a Buckeye assistant coach

By Charlie Lockhart

BLOOMINGTON, IN - AUGUST 31: Urban Meyer the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes gives instructions to his team during the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - AUGUST 31: Urban Meyer the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes gives instructions to his team during the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on August 31, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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The Ohio State assistant coaches will certainly be compensated well.

The Ohio State University has released the salaries of the assistant football coaches for 2018. It sure does pay to work for Urban Meyer. Two of his assistants will now be making seven figures and the others certainly won’t need to clip coupons or worry about how he will make it to payday.

The two biggest winners of the pay increase bonanza were Ryan Day and Greg Schiano. Day’s salary was increased $600,000 to $1,000,000 and Schiano’s went form $700,000 to $1,500,000. I wonder how much of a factor those pay increases factored into the coaches’ decisions to stay at Ohio State when they had opportunities elsewhere.

Here is the full list of the salaries the assistant coaches will be paid in 2018 as reported by OSU.EDU. 

  • Greg Schiano – $700,000 in 2017 to $1,500,000 in 2018: $800,000 increase
  • Ryan Day – $400,000 in 2017 to $1,000,000 in 2018: $600,000 increase
  • Kevin Wilson – $650,000 in 2017 to $800,000 in 2018: $150,000 increase
  • Alex Grinch – $800,000 in 2018
  • Larry Johnson – $575,225 in 2017 to $750,000 in 2018; $174,775 increase
  • Tony Alford – $450,000 in 2017 to $525,000 in 2018; $75,000 increase
  • Bill Davis – $500,000 in 2017; $500,000 in 2018
  • Greg Studrawa – $410,000 in 2017 to $500,000 in 2018; $90,000 increase
  • Taver Johnson – $345,000 in 2018
  • Zach Smith – $300,000 in 2017 to $340,000 in 2018; $40,000 increase

Every returning assistant received a significant bump in their pay with the exception of Bill Davis. But even he is half-way to a seven-figure income.

Even though Larry Johnson will be making $750.000, I think he is the most underpaid coach in college football. I have some suggestions for the Ohio State defensive line coach.

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He should find a new agent and make the other defensive coaches kick back some of their money. Or make them pick up the tab for every one of his meals he will ever eat, and pay for him and his family to go to the Bahamas or Hawaii whenever coach Johnson has a week off. The Magician’s players make the entire defense look good every year, keeping offensive lineman off the linebackers and making life miserable for the quarterback.

While these salaries may look extravagant to some, I think they are right on the money for the most part. Without top-notch assistants the Ohio State football team wouldn’t be competing for national titles every year, and consequently the revenue would be way down.

The football program funds the many non-revenue sports at Ohio State which are outstanding as well, they just don’t bring in any money. It would be a shame if elite athletes who play lacrosse, volleyball or wrestles wouldn’t be able to get part or all of their education paid for.

Next: Trouble and turmoil in Michigan’s offensive staff?

Congrats to Athletic Director Gene Smith and the powers that be at Ohio State for looking at the big picture. They compensated these outstanding assistants the way they should be and that will keep the gravy train that is Ohio State football rolling. That will ensure the entire athletic program will continue to be one of the best in the country.     

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