Dave Aranda has some company in the rarefied air in which his bank account currently resides.
Thursday, and as expected, Clemson’s Board of Trustees approved raises for all nine of the assistant coaches who were on Dabo Swinney‘s coaching staff in 2017. Included in that group is Brent Venables, with the defensive coordinator’s salary being bumped from $1.7 million to $2 million in 2018.
That figure for the upcoming season makes Venables just the second $2 million coordinator in college football. In January, Aranda spurned overtures from Texas A&M to remain as the defensive coordinator at LSU on a contract that will pay him $2.5 million annually over the next four years.
The other financial bumps for Swinney’s assistants weren’t nearly as impressive Venables’.
Co-offensive coordinators Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott each received $50,000 raises, pushing their salaries from $800,000 to $850,000. Defensive tackle coach Todd Bates was also given a $50,000 raise, giving him a 2018 salary of $300,000.
The other raises for the remaining five assistants were in the range of $20,000-$25,000.