Auburn to pay assistant coaches more

Published 1:43 pm Friday, January 30, 2009

Auburn will pay its assistant football coaches considerably more this year while head coach Gene Chizik will earn less than Tommy Tuberville made in 2008.

Defensive coordinator Ted Roof’s $370,000 salary tops the list on Chizik’s new staff and is a $65,000 boost from what predecessor Paul Rhoads was pulling in during his lone season in Auburn.

Offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn is making $350,000, 20 percent more than Tuberville hired Tony Franklin for a year ago.

Email newsletter signup

No contracts have been signed, but all the assistants agreed to multiyear deals in taking the jobs.

Two other assistants are also making at least $300,000, Trooper Taylor and Tracy Rocker. Taylor, the Tigers’ receivers coach and associate head coach, will earn $320,000. Rocker is being paid $300,000 to coach the defensive line.

Chizik’s $2 million salary is $800,000 less than Tuberville made last year.

The salaries for Auburn’s other assistants include: offensive line coach Jeff Grimes ($290,000), running backs coach Curtis Luper ($260,000) and tight ends and special teams coach Jay Boulware ($180,000). Tuberville’s other assistants, besides the coordinators, made between $180,000 and $200,000 last season.

Chizik still needs to hire two defensive coaches and plans to wait until after next Wednesday, which is national signing day.

The current payroll is just over $4 million. Tennessee is paying its new coaching staff $5.3 million this year, though defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is drawing a $1.2 million salary.

Like Chizik, Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin is set to make a $2 million salary.