In finally prying him out of Boise, Washington was expected to make Chris Petersen one of the highest-paid head coaches in the Pac-12. As it turns out, it appears you can take the “one of” out of the equation.
Bruce Feldman of CBSSports.com reported Friday night that Petersen and UW had agreed on a five-year contract that would pay the former Boise State head coach an average of $3.6 million annually. The school, which will officially introduce Petersen at a press conference Monday, has yet to release any contractual details.
If the numbers are accurate, Petersen would easily become the highest-paid head coach in the Pac-12, at least as far as public institutions are concerned.
Petersen’s predecessor, Steve Sarkisian, previously held the title, earning a reported $2.57 million in 2013. Utah’s Kyle Whittingham ($2.43 million), Colorado’s Mike MacIntyre ($2.4 million) and Cal’s Sonny Dykes ($2.39 million) were all at or around $2.4 million this season. In his final season with the Broncos, Petersen was paid $2.1 million.
As they are private institutions, Stanford and USC are not required to release salary details for its coaches. In its salary data base, though, USA Today had Lane Kiffin making $2.59 million as the Trojans’ head coach. It’s believed Sarkisian will top $3 million annually for his move to USC.
The Cardinal’s David Shaw is also believed to have cracked (at least) the $3 million mark.