Big Red Business: A top ten dollar commitment to Frost and his staff

When you look at the $10 million Nebraska is spending on new head coach Scott Frost and his staff, the financial commitment is top ten worthy.

Only a handful of other college football blue-bloods, including Alabama, Clemson and Texas A&M, are shelling out that type of money or more for the head coach and assistants.

Frost on Saturday agreed to leave Central Florida University for a $5 million a year contract for seven years at his alma mater. But according to details of his memorandum of understanding released Monday by the university, he will also be in line to earn performance bonuses of about $1 million if his team puts together a national championship season.

The bonus plan for Frost is tiered to levels of achievement in conference and bowl play -- including division championship, conference championship, a bowl game appearance, and the college football championship game.

In addition, each member of his coaching staff is receiving two-year contracts that run through December 2019. They will share in a salary pool of $5 million, plus performance bonuses similar to Frost, based on the team’s achievements, the university said.

The salary pool will be spread around ten football assistants -- up from nine currently allowed -- plus a strength coach. The NCAA will allow programs to add the tenth assistant starting Jan. 6.

The salaries for Frost’s staff are an upgrade when compared with former coach Mike Riley’s 2017 staff, and the group who coached under Bo Pelini in his final 2014 season.

Riley’s group was paid a total of $3.92 million while Pelini’s staff earned $2.96 million -- for nine assistants and the strength coach.

It’s hard to make exact comparisons with how Nebraska’s $5 million salary pool stacks up nationally. But based on the USA Today 2016 database of assistant coach salaries, only Alabama, Clemson and LSU topped $5 million. Again, keep in mind, that the 2016 data covered only nine coaches and presumably no strength coach salary.

There’s one other measurement: Nebraska’s assistant football staff was the 62nd highest-paid in 2016, according to the USA Today data. Indeed, the financial commitment from the university has changed.

On Monday, Frost revealed the names of seven coaches -- all coming from Central Florida -- along with their salaries. Three are offensive coaches and four coach the defense, including defensive coordinator Erik Chinander.

Chinander will likely be the highest paid assistant on Frost’s staff, at $800,000 a year.

Chinander’s salary is nearly twice what he was paid this year to coach Central Florida’s defense. By contrast, Bob Diaco, the defensive coordinator this past season for Mike Riley, was paid $825,000 in his first season at Nebraska.

Substantial pay raises are also in order for new offensive line coach and former Husker lineman Greg Austin, defensive line coach Mike Dawson, and Jovan Dewitt, who will coach outside linebackers and special teams.

All three will make $475,000 a year. Dawson’s new salary equates to an astounding 265 percent boost.

Rounding the list, quarterback coach Mario Verduzco agreed to a $350,000 salary, while running backs coach and former Nebraska walk-on Ryan Held and defensive backs coach Travis Fisher will each earn $300,000.

Looking at the dollars revealed so far, about $3.175 million of the $5 million salary pool has been accounted for. That leaves $1.825 million for the three yet-to-be-named assistants and a strength and conditioning coach.

It is widely expected that Barrett Ruud, the former Nebraska linebacker who joined Frost’s staff in Florida, will be named a linebacker coach on Jan. 6.

How much will he be paid? Riley’s linebacker coach, Trent Bray, earned $400,000 this past year, so while Ruud might not make that type of money based on experience levels, his pay might rank in the neighborhood of $250,000 to $300,000.

After Ruud, who is already recruiting for Nebraska, that presumably leaves two spots to be filled on the offensive side of the ledger, possibly an offensive coordinator and someone to coach tight ends and receivers; plus the head strength and conditioning coach.

The memorandum of understanding signed by Frost and athletic director Bill Moos said a final employment agreement must be in place within ten business days of Frost’s Nov. 27th start date.

*The head coach can allocate some of the $5 million salary pool towards other “support staff” with approval by Moos.

*Frost will be provided up to 20 hours of personal private jet travel each fiscal year.

*If Frost is fired without cause, the university would owe $5 million a year for each of the contract’s first five years; then $2.5 million a year for the final two. That payout would be offset by gaining a new job with an NCAA Division 1 or NFL team.

*Frost can earn incentive compensation of $100,000 for a win or a tie in the division championship; $300,000 for winning a conference championship, and $650,000 for a national title.

According to the contract, the bonuses will be paid based on the highest level of achievement, so winning a conference and then national championship would generate $950,000 in additional income for Frost.

*The 10 assistant coaches, head strength and conditioning coach and director of football operations can earn bonuses of 5 percent for a win or a tie in the division championship; 15 percent for winning the conference championship; and 25 percent for a national championship. Again, the highest levels of results apply.

Steve Rosen covers business of sports for HuskerOnline.com. Questions, comments, story ideas? Reach him at 913-485-8302.