FAU's Tom Herman shocked by Florida high school coaches forced to leave because of low pay
High school football coaches in the state are receiving support from more than the Florida Coaches Coalition.
Florida Atlantic University head coach Tom Herman threw his support behind the coaches Tuesday, advocating for higher pay for a group of men who are producing some of the best talent in the country.
"In my 10 months here, I've been absolutely flabbergasted at the treatment of those coaches," Herman told The Palm Beach Post. "We have to do something to keep our good coaches in this state from running to Georgia, to Alabama, to Texas to get paid what most believe is a fair wage."
According to a 2021 analysis by the USA Today Florida Network, the average supplement for a first-year head football coach in Florida was approximately $4,650 for the 2020-21 school year. In Palm Beach County, the supplement for a head football coach is $4,500 and the average tenure is just more than two years.
Palm Beach County has had at least 45 head football coaching changes in the past three years, with most seeking higher-paying jobs.
In a social media post on Monday, the FCC called for the Florida High School Athletic Association to support increasing pay for coaches.
"This is a state that having recruited it as much as I did at Ohio State, now living in it and having to recruit it full time, you put Florida, Georgia, Texas, Ohio, California in a sack every year, you toss it around, and one state is going to have three more four stars than the other," Herman said. "It's a pick 'em every year in terms of the talent level.
"We don't want the best players in the state of Florida moving out of state because they are going to get better coaches. And we certainly don't want the best coaches in our state moving to other states because they can make a better living."
Herman spent six years as a head coach in Texas — two at Houston and four at the University of Texas — and saw the disparity in how high school coaches are valued and in the resources at their disposal.
In 2021, more than 200 high school football coaches in Texas made more than $100,000. Three made at least $150,000. Georgia had at least 44 high school football coaches making six figures in 2017.
Coaching high school football is a full-time job in those states, and others.
"The rub for me … am I pro coaches? Yeah, I am. Especially at the high school level, they should get paid a king's ransom," Herman said.
"These guys are saints to do what they do, to work (the hours) they work, to chase around a bunch of 14- to 17-year-old kids. Make sure their academics are in order. All of that. Some of them help them get to school or get home, and get to practice. And they're getting a ($4,500) stipend on top of their job?"
Alex Savakinas got about $1,000 when promoted to Boca Raton head coach
Herman's son, TD, is a wide receiver at Boca Raton High School. His head coach, Alex Savakinas, was promoted this season. Savakinas received about a $1,000 raise in going from an assistant to a head coach.
"What incentivizes guys to take that jump to take on 500 percent more responsibility and headache?" Herman said. "For what? For 1,000 bucks?"
Herman believes coaches need to be a higher priority because many of them do so much more than devise game plans and draw up X's and O's. Most are invested in their players and are as important to these students as teachers and guidance counselors.
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Yet, some are evaluated solely by how many games they win.
"If we're going to hire and fire and judge coaches on wins and losses, let's at least send them into the gunfight with a gun and not a knife," Herman said.
"It is shocking how many good coaches we have in this state that are looking to get out because they can't make a living doing it here."
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU's Tom Herman wants higher pay for Florida high school football coaches
