Where Gamecocks’ Clayton White salary ranks among SEC defensive coordinators
South Carolina defensive coordinator Clayton White received a substantial pay day on Friday.
The USC board of trustees approved a new deal for White that will bump his salary from $900,000 annually to $1.1 million — a 22.2% raise. He is the only assistant coach on the Gamecocks’ staff making above $1 million.
White’s projected annual earnings of $1.1 million for 2022 would have ranked ninth among SEC defensive coordinators a season ago. That would’ve tied him in the league with Mississippi State’s Zach Arnett — who received a raise going into last season.
Exactly where White’s pay ranks defensive coordinators for 2022 is still to be determined. Auburn hasn’t replaced Derek Mason, while Missouri’s Blake Baker may be in line for a restructured deal after being promoted from safeties coach. Texas A&M and Ole Miss, respectively, also haven’t released details on deals for the Aggies’ D.J. Durkin and reported Rebels co-coordinator Maurice Crum.
White’s contract again includes a provision that he will not be required to pay a buyout if he takes a job as a Division I head coach, NFL head coach or NFL coordinator.
“Personally, I think (White) did a super job,” South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said Friday. “I think he’s deserving. And if you’re a coordinator in Power Five football, you’re in that range, if not somewhat higher.”
The $4.88 million in assistant coaching salaries that South Carolina paid in 2021 ranked 12th out of the 13 public schools in the Southeastern Conference, according to a report from the Knoxville News Sentinel on Monday.
USC’s spending sat just behind Missouri ($4.89 million), Ole Miss ($5.03 million), Arkansas ($5.13 million) and Kentucky ($5.45 million), per the report.
White tied for the second-lowest salary of SEC defensive coordinators in 2021 with Kentucky’s Brad Davis under the terms of his previous deal, according to USA Today’s assistant coach salary database.
South Carolina’s defense ranked first in the SEC in pass defense and takeaways and sixth in total defense during White’s first season with the Gamecocks.
USC also held seven opponents to 21 points or less during the 2021 campaign, including a 38-21 win over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30.
White was hired at South Carolina in January after spells at Stanford, N.C. State and Western Kentucky, among other stops. He played his college ball at N.C. State and spent time with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before a knee injury prematurely ended his playing career.
SEC Defensive Coordinator Salaries 2021
1. Mike Elko (Texas A&M) — $2.1 million
2. Todd Grantham (Florida) — $1.8 million
3. Barry Odom (Arkansas) — $1.75 million
4. Dan Lanning (Georgia) — $1.7 million
5. Pete Golding (Alabama) — $1.625 million
6. Derek Mason (Auburn) — $1.5 million
7. Daronte Jones (LSU) — $1.45 million
8. Tim Banks (Tennessee) — $1.3 million
9. Zach Arnett (Mississippi State) — $1.1 million
10. Steve Wilks (Missouri) — $1 million
T-11. Clayton White (South Carolina) — $900,000
T-11. Brad White (Kentucky) — $900,000
13. D.J. Durkin (Ole Miss) — $700,000
