In 2019, Ohio State had one assistant earn at least $1 million in base salary. In 2020, it’ll have four.
The Buckeyes on Monday revealed that new defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison and defensive line coach Larry Johnson have all joined the 7-figure club.
Coombs leads the pack at $1.4 million, a whopping $900,000 raise from his last season at Ohio State in 2017. Wilson will earn $1.2 million, a $250,000 raise from last year. Mattison and Johnson will both earn $1.133 million; Mattison was Ohio State’s lone $1 million earner last year ($1.1 million), while Johnson made $900,000.
With the moves, Ohio State is the first college football programs to pay a quartet of assistants top the $1 million mark, besting the 2019 Clemson staff’s three. The Tigers dropped from three to two in 2020 with Jeff Scott‘s departure for South Florida, but Clemson will still pay its assistants ($8.145 million) slightly more than Ohio State ($8 million).
All ten of Ryan Day‘s assistants are under contract through the next two seasons, with the four millionaires plus offensive line coach Greg Studrawa, wide receivers coach Brian Hartline, special teams coordinator/assistant secondary coach Matt Barnes and quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis are under contract through 2022.
“I couldn’t have been more impressed with the performance of our coaching staff under the direction of Ryan Day in 2019,” Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said in a statement. “What they accomplished both on the field and in the way they led and mentored our student-athletes was exemplary. We look forward to much of the same in 2020.”