How about paying college football coaches for their performance, not bloated expectations?
There was a time when college football coaches made a lot less than their professional colleagues in the NFL. That has certainly changed in the last two decades. The top college coaches now make equal to or more than many NFL head coaches and sign ridiculous 10-year contracts that only incompetent athletic directors offer. Why does that matter? Because too often, it just doesn't work out.
How about Dana Holgorsen in Houston ($15 million owed)? Indiana's Tom Allen (owed $20 million)? Remember Charlie Weis, who performed the perfecta — getting fired at Notre Dame and Kansas after receiving significant extensions and collecting tens of millions of dollars from both at the same time? How about Michigan State's Mel Tucker (fired for cause but owed about $80 million)? Did you forget Nebraska's Scott Frost ($25 million)? And then the granddaddy of them all, Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M (owed north of $76 million)? If these were corporations instead of universities, their CEO and every individual associated with the head coach's hiring would have been shown the door. Clean house.
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But for most, it's the good old boy network. Schools are simply bidding against themselves. Let any head coach market his services elsewhere and don't get "used" in negotiations. Aren't we told the university is more important than any coach? Do we root for the team or the coach? How about being rewarded for what you've done instead of expectations. That's called a bonus, something most coaches also have in their contracts. Right now, there are only three coaches who deserve the $10 million per year they're being paid. Georgia's Kirby Smart, who has clearly distinguished himself after winning back-to-back championships, Clemson's Dabo Swinney who elevated the Tiger program to elite status, winning two national championship and Saint Nick Saban of Alabama, the King of the Hill. Everybody else should be compensated far below these three because winning national championships is all that counts right now in the world we live in.
That's why Jim Harbaugh could elevate himself to this group by winning a national championship at Michigan. It wouldn't matter that he was suspended twice this year for cheating or that the NCAA notified Michigan this week of numerous recruiting violations against Harbaugh and his staff. Nothing will diminish the crowning of a national championship. Harbaugh would be offered one of those monumental $100 million extensions because Michigan cannot "afford" to see him leave. Or at least that would be the thinking as it is at so many other places. Yet, it rarely is true. How did it go this year for USC's Lincoln Riley? Last year at Oklahoma with coach Brent Venables (6-7)? Mario Cristobal so far has been a disappointment at Miami. Every year, Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin seems to get a raise just because his name is mentioned for vacant head coaching positions. His agent uses that leverage and the threat of leaving to get significant future compensation. That's the mantra among almost all college football coaches. No loyalty, just utter selfishness.
So who was the 2023 Eddie Robinson coach of the year? Washington's Kalen DeBoer. His salary — $4.2 million, 44th in the country. Remember when Coach Prime had the award locked up when Colorado was 3-0. He finished 4-8 but still exceeded expectations. I still think he did a great job and it will get easier when the Buffalos move to the Big 12 next year. Coaches should be compensated for not only winning but exceeding expectations. And how about something for graduating their players? I'm sorry but academics are no longer part of the head coaches' job description. Winning a national championship is deserving of a huge extension but, short of that, does DeBoer deserve a $100-million contract? In this environment, yes. If fiscal responsibility has anything to do with it, fuhgeddaboudit.
More transfers on rosters than ever
This used to be the most important week for any major college football program. The bloodline for programs was recruiting and signing day was held on Wednesday. Who finished at the top? Georgia, Alabama, Oregon, Ohio State and Texas with Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Auburn and Florida State and Miami rounding out the top 10. But these are high school players, and most are not ready to step in and play immediately. So universities now build through the transfer portal (aka free agency). Who finished first this year? Coach Prime and Colorado. As he told you from the beginning, "get him now." To get a real understanding of the effects of the transfer portal, over 20 percent of FBS rosters are in the portal or over 2,100 players. Four years ago, about 3 percent of FBS starters were transfers. Now it's almost one third (32 percent). While immediate eligibility is a factor, the portal and, to a certain extent, recruiting in general is driven by NIL money. It's no longer a dirty little secret.
The last remnants of the Pac-12
Oregon State and Washington State won their court battle against the traitor institutions who left them behind and now control all Pac-12 decisions. They formally announced all issues with the breakaway schools have been settled and OSU and WSU will retain all of the Pac-12's assets and future revenues. Good luck to them and goodbye to the Conference of Champions. The Big 10 and especially UCLA and USC deserve most of the blame for their failure to work together to maintain an iconic entity that deserved a better fate. The remaining schools needed a life raft and will forever thank their good fortune in finding a landing destination. For the Beavers and Cougars, they are on a deserted island.
Welcome to the silly season
Bowl season (42 games) has started and there are a number of games this week. So many great names. RoofClaim.com, Guaranteed Rate, TaxSlayer, Wasabi, Bad Boy Mowers, Pop-Tarts, Tony the Tiger and Barstool Sports are all sponsors of games you don't want to miss. Of course, you'll need a program to find out who is playing because so many players are in the transfer portal. They are generally meaningless now, as the bowls long ago sold their souls to the networks and sponsorship. Capitalism has prevailed once again.
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: College coaches should be paid for performance, not expectations
