Big Red Business: Pay day for the athletic program

Four Nebraska assistant football coaches received pay bumps for the current fiscal year, according to the university’s recently released annual personnel roster and salary report. Salaries for head coach Scott Frost and the rest of his assistants were unchanged.

Coming off a short season that led to pandemic-induced salary freezes and furloughs throughout the athletic department, the university set the systemwide merit-based raise pool to 1.5 percent for the new 2021-2022 fiscal year, said John Jantz, the athletic department’s chief financial officer. Some staffers received higher raises because of performance or added job responsibilities.

Pay hikes were awarded to assistant coaches Mike Dawson, Tony Tuioti, Barrett Ruud, and Sean Beckton, based on the data in the fiscal year personnel and salary report.

Dawson, the outside linebackers coach who took on additional duties this season overseeing special teams, saw the biggest jump to $500,000 from $325,000 the previous year. Beckton, the tight ends coach, received a $25,000 raise to $400,000, and Tuioti’s salary as defensive line coach climbed $25,000 to $400,000.

Ruud, the inside linebackers coach, received a $25,000 raise to $250,000. Entering coaching after a pro football career, Ruud is the lowest paid coach on Frost’s staff.

In addition, Matt Davison, the associate athletic director for football, was awarded about a $13,000 raise to $226,527. Davison is also listed as a senior offensive analyst. Zach Duval, in charge of the athletic department’s strength and conditioning program received a $25,000 pay bump to $425,000, while senior offensive analyst Ron Brown now makes $186,354, up about $3,000 from the previous year.

Jentz said the last year “is a difficult if not impossible year to compare from a personnel and salary standpoint. During fiscal year 2021, several positions were eliminated, many more furloughed for several months, and all others took a 10 percent salary cut.”

He said the current fiscal year, from a personnel and salary perspective, is “more back to normal and includes the university’s 1.5 percent merit (raise) for all employees” and the addition of more full-time staffers to operate the department’s in house marketing and media rights business.

HuskerOnline reviewed payroll numbers for the athletic department, public information that is released annually covering the entire University of Nebraska system. The salary information did not account for contract terms, performance bonuses, benefits and other parts of the financial package.

Frost, the highest paid public employee in the university and in the state, earns $5 million. Most college football or basketball coaches are at the top of their state’s pay ladder.

Frost’s highest-paid assistant, defensive coordinator Erik Chinander, earns $800,000, unchanged from the previous year.

Salaries were also unchanged for assistant football coaches Greg Austin, Matt Lubick, Travis Fisher, Ryan Held, and Mario Verduzco, according to the salary and staffing records.

The football program at Nebraska drives the athletic department budget, as with all other Power Five conference schools. Moreover, college football coaching positions have become quite lucrative in recent years, along with men’s basketball.

Indeed, eight members of Nebraska’s football staff are among the top-paid coaches in the athletic program.

The others atop the pay list are basketball coach Fred Hoiberg, who earns $4 million, unchanged from the previous year; head women’s volleyball coach John Cook, who’s $675,000 salary is unchanged from 2020-2021; and women’s basketball coach Amy Williams, who $626,750 paycheck is also unchanged from a year ago.

New athletic director Trev Alberts receives a base salary of $800,000.

*Head baseball coach Will Bolt received a $100,000 boost to $400,000, after guiding the team to the Big Ten title in his second year and a spot in the NCAA regionals.

*Head bowling coach Paul Klempa was awarded a $9,000 raise to $90,000 after the women’s team won the 2021 NCAA national championship.

*Assistant men’s basketball coach Matt Abdelmassih received a $20,000 boost to $400,000.

Top management

John Johnson is the only senior manager in the athletic department to have left since Alberts replaced Bill Moos as athletic director three months ago. Johnson was a senior deputy athletic director and chief of staff, and his position has not been filled.

In addition, football chief of staff Gerrard Lambrecht left the program in August. He was earning $388,238 at the time he resigned to pursue other business opportunities.

Andrew Sims, former assistant director of football operations, was elevated to director of football operations and given a salary increase for taking on additional duties, Jentz said. Sims was making $76,125 in his previous position; his new salary was unavailable.

The two highest paid senior athletic department managers are senior deputy athletic director Garrett Klassy, who earns $355,250; and Jantz, the chief financial officer who makes $301,422.

There are a number of unfilled positions in the athletic department, but Jantz said hiring will remain tight. “As we trend towards a more normal operation,” he said, “each open position requested to be filled is still looked at through the lens of whether or not it is essential at this time or if it should be adjusted to better fit anticipated needs.”

Steve Rosen covers the business of sports for HuskerOnline. Reach Steve with your questions, comments, and story ideas at srosen@huskeronline.com.