One of the results of the change of leadership at Texas is the new approach the Longhorns are taking to paying their assistant football coaches, according to a story on Sunday from the USA Today.
In the past, Texas assistants were employed on an ‘at-will’ basis, meaning there was no set term for how long they would coach and no guaranteed compensation if they were fired.
Under new athletic director Steve Patterson, Texas is moving toward employing its football assistants under multi-year contracts for the first time. The proposal is currently being considered by the university’s Board of Regents.
If it goes through, each Charlie Strong’s nine full-time assistants will get a guaranteed two-year deal that could be renewed for an additional year. The highest-paid assistant will be defensive coordinator Vance Bedford, who will make $800,000 for the 2014 season. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson will make $650,000. As a group, Strong’s assistants will make $3.84 million.
The new rules should make Texas even more attractive to top assistants and promote stability on its coaching staff.