There is, apparently, no recession in college football. Or, if there is, it has bypassed the South Carolina uplands. Now that Dabo Swinney (right) has had his training wheels taken off, it's time for the rest of the staff to get paid accordingly. And oh boy, are they going to. Clemson will pony up $1.8 million for Dabo Swinney's staff next season.That's staggering, even if the ACC still trails the SEC in the coaching staff arms race. Last season, only 25 of the 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams paid their head coaches $1.8 million or more. Thus, as ridiculous as head coach salaries have become, the staff adds the equivalent of yet another head coach to the overall operating expenses.
You can complain all you want, but (a) it won't do you any good, and (b) there's a very good reason why these schools will pay a staff so much.
Because they're worth it. Very few FBS programs lose money, after all.
Clemson's new defensive coordinator, Kevin Steele, will get $375,000 per year. Last season there were about 25 FBS head coaches who didn't get paid that much. But again, Steele's getting that money because he's worth it. He did fine work for Alabama last season and is generally regarded as one of the top defensive coordinators in the country. His offensive playcalling, of course, is a little questionable.
Even if these megasalaries seem excessive to us fans, we might as well get used to them. The football-industrial complex looks out for its own, and college football continues to be the cash cow that keeps many an athletic department going. The coaching bubble may burst some day, but that day sure looks like it's far off to me.
