Latest on contract situation for Justin Stepp, other USC football assistants
Every South Carolina assistant football coach is working under contract.
That includes USC assistants Justin Stepp and Travian Robertson as well as strength coach Luke Day.
And that’s according to an open records request by The State that revealed all three were extended during the spring and summer.
▪ In March, Stepp was extended through Dec. 31, 2024 at $525,000 annually.
▪ In June, Day was extended through Dec. 31, 2024 with a $450,000 salary.
▪ In August, Robertson’s contract was extended through Dec. 31, 2024 at a rate of $400,000 a year. That extension came about four months after Robertson was hired as USC’s defensive line coach.
South Carolina’s board of trustees no longer has to publicly approve every athletic contract one-year extension unless the value is at or above $650,000, according to a university spokesman. That’s a change the BOT approved, the spokesman said, and it’s why Dawn Staley’s assistant coaches were extended in the spring without going before the board.
The USC board on Friday also approved a raise for defensive end/outside linebackers coach Sterling Lucas, bringing him from $410,000 to $575,000 annually. That deal was approved publicly because the raise and extension combined exceeded the $650,000 threshold, the spokesman told The State.
USC’s board of trustees on Friday also approved the hire of receivers coach James Coley, who most recently worked as Texas A&M. Coley will coach wide receivers, with Stepp shifting to tight ends, the school announced.
Coley’s contract is for two years through Dec. 31, 2025 at a salary of $650,000 this season and $850,000 for next year. Wright made $400,000 last season.
With an average salary of $750,000, Coley becomes the third-highest-paid South Carolina assistant behind defensive coordinator Clayton White ($1.2 million) and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains ($1 million).
The Gamecocks are still in search of a running backs coach to replace Montario Hardesty. Marquel Blackwell is expected to fill that role, according to 247Sports, but that hire is not yet official.
SOUTH CAROLINA ASSISTANT COACH SALARIES
- Clayton White (DC) — $1.2 million
- Dowell Loggains (OC) — $1 million
- James Coley (WRs) — $750,000 (average)
- Pete Lembo (ST) — $725,000
- Torrian Gray (DBs) — $675,000
- Sterling Lucas (DEs/OLBs) — $575,000
- Justin Stepp (TEs) — $525,000
- Lonnie Teasley (OL) — $410,000
- Travian Robertson (DL) — $400,000
- Running backs — TBD
This story was originally published January 13, 2024 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Latest on contract situation for Justin Stepp, other USC football assistants."
