How Ray Tanner said he’d approach even more spending on new football assistants
South Carolina hasn’t made it official, but over the weekend changes to South Carolina’s coaching staff meant staffers making more than $1.1 million were let go, and a million-dollar coordinator was moved to just a position coach.
The Gamecocks now have at least two jobs to fill and it will almost assuredly cost more to fill those two spots.
South Carolina AD Ray Tanner was asked before the Clemson game in an interview on 107.5 FM about the topic of assistant pay — and potentially doing more with whatever changes were coming. The reality of $2 million assistants was brought up (there were three in 2018), and the question of if money might be an issue.
Tanner said it wouldn’t, but with a small caveat.
“If our football coach, our basketball coach, our baseball coach, they feel they need to make a change within their program, certainly within reason am I going to support them? Absolutely,” Tanner said. ‘You threw out some big numbers there, that I would have to say ‘hold on a minute, let me go count some beans. See if we’ve got enough beans.’ But I’m going to be 100 percent supportive.”
As of last year, USC’s core staff of 10 assistants made $5.635 million. Defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson made $1.2 million. Bryan McClendon, formerly the offensive coordinator and unofficially the receivers coach at the moment, made $1 million.
Two coaches, including departing quarterbacks coach Dan Werner, made $700,000, while five other assistants made between $300,000 and $475,000.
Strength coach Jeff Dillman, who is also leaving the team, made $425,000 in 2018.
If McClendon stays around — that’s no guarantee after being demoted — he’d be in a particularly small group of million-dollar non-coordinators.
The names being floated out as candidates for the offensive coordinator spot include the likes of Mike Bobo and former head coach Chad Morris.
The last time Bobo was an assistant, he was paid $575,000, back in an era were $1 million assistants were almost unheard of. That same year, Morris earned $1.3 million, tied for third-most nationally.
Both became head coaches the next season. Morris is expected to receive a lot of interest as he returns to an assistant role after the way he turned around Clemson’s offense. Bobo is still head coach at Colorado State for the moment, but after winning seven games total the past two seasons, he is considered a strong candidate to be let go.
As of last season, the majority of SEC offensive coordinators made at least $800,000, including every one that called plays. Discounting a head coach who was his own OC, McClendon was the third-highest paid public school offensive coordinator in the league.
South Carolina’s coordinator would not only call plays but also be the primary leader of the offense (owing to Muschamp’s defensive background).
But spending what a coach asks for isn’t just limited to football, according to Tanner
“You talk about football; the answer is absolutely, 100 percent,” Tanner said. “I would do that with volleyball. They are the head coaches. They make decisions that are best for their programs. If I can be supportive, we’re going to be supportive. We’re blessed. We continue to be blessed that we are able to balance our budget and operate in the black, which is a big challenge for a lot of schools around the country.”
USC brought in $140 million in 2017-18 according to USA Today, while spending $134.86 million.
South Carolina has had a relatively strong staff continuity through the Muschamp era. His first off-season saw only one assistant depart in Shawn Elliott taking a head-coaching job. The next year, he fired Kurt Roper, promoting McClendon to that spot and adding Werner to the vacant quarterback position.
Last year, John Scott Jr. replaced Lance Thompson as defensive line coach, while Thomas Brown was brought in to coach running backs, pushing Bobby Bentley over to tight ends and Pat Washington off the Gamecocks staff.
It is unclear what other possible changes may come, but off a disappointing 4-8 season more shifts on Muschamp’s staff can’t be ruled out.
“He’ll get the support he needs and asks for,” Tanner said.
SEC 2019 public school OC salaries
Alabama - Steve Sarkisian at 1.55 million
Tennessee - Jim Cheney at $1.5 million
South Carolina - Bryan McClendon at $1 million
Georgia - James Coley at $950,000
Missouri - Derek Dooley at $900,000
Ole Miss - Rich Rodriguez at $900,000
Kentucky - Eddie Gran at $875,000
Texas A&M - Darrell Dickey at $800,000 (Jimbo Fisher calls plays)
LSU - Steve Ensminger at $800,000
Arkansas - Joe Craddock at $600,000
Florida - Billy Gonzales and John Hevesy at $575,000 (Head coach Dan Mullen calls plays)
Auburn - Kenny Dillingham at $500,000 (Head coach Gus Malzahn calls plays)
Mississippi State - Head coach Joe Moorehead is the OC
This story was originally published December 4, 2019 at 12:00 AM with the headline "How Ray Tanner said he’d approach even more spending on new football assistants."
