How much assistant money Gamecocks could be on the hook for into 2021
College football assistant coaching contracts used to be pretty simple.
Assistants were mostly on one-year deals. They stuck around at the head coach and school’s convenience. That started changing in recent years, as longer deals became incentives in the ever-expanding race to compete for staff talent.
And that reality leaves the Gamecocks with some long-term obligations that stretch into the 2021 season.
Head coach Will Muschamp’s status likely rests on his performance next fall. His buyout after next season drops about $2 million with a contract amendment. That in turn will likely raise his staff salary (pending any more change) which was at $5.635 million last season, 14th nationally.
The status of that buyout has been talked over, through it’s worth noting the drop from $15.58 million as of Dec. 1 next year to $13.475 million makes him easier to move on from.
And if things go badly in 2020 and USC is forced to move on, it will owe potentially a good bit of money to his assistants in the 2021 season:
Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo — $1.2 million (contract approved Tuesday)
Running backs coach Thomas Brown — $500,000 (raise approved Tuesday)
Defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson — $1.2 million
Wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon — $1 million
Offensive line coach Eric Wolford — $700,000
This assumes no one leaves, which isn’t a guarantee given McClendon’s demotion from offensive coordinator or some reports linking Robinson to at least one head coaching job.
There’s also mitigation that would factor in, meaning any salary each coach would make with a new job in 2021 would off South Carolina’s tab.
So in total, USC will be on the hook for making five assistants whole to the tune of $4.6 million, plus Muschamp at $3.3 million for each of the next four years.
If the staff makes it to 2021, it’s a moot point, and some pieces still could move with assistants moving elsewhere.
This story was originally published December 11, 2019 at 8:45 AM.
