STARKVILLE — Mississippi State”s football coaches will feel the rewards of a breakout season in their bank accounts.
Coach Dan Mullen”s raise from $1.5 million a year to $2.65 was announced several days before MSU”s 52-14 win against the University of Michigan in the Gator Bowl. The victory gave the Bulldogs their best record since 2000 and landed them in The Associated Press” final Top 25 rankings for the first time in 11 years.
Now, all of the Bulldogs” assistants, with the exception of first-year linebackers coach Geoff Collins, will receive pay increases based on information obtained through an open records request.
Chris Wilson, who moved up to defensive coordinator to replace Manny Diaz, will make $300,000 this season after making $240,000 last season. His 25-percent pay increase is the largest pay raise of any of MSU”s assistants. In comparison, Diaz made $260,000 as the defensive boss last season.
Though Collins wasn”t on the staff last season, he”ll be the second-highest paid assistant at $280,000.
“Our administration does a good job of helping us in every aspect with keeping us competitive with everybody else in college football,” Mullen said Thursday.
Offensive line coach John Hevesy and offensive coordinator Les Koenning will make $275,000 this season after making $245,000 and $260,000, respectively, in 2010.
Hevesy”s pay raise is the second-highest on the team, just ahead of running backs coach Greg Knox, who moved up from $200,000 to $220,000, and safeties coach Tony Hughes, who was bumped up from $185,000 to $205,000.
Cornerbacks coach Melvin Smith will get a $15,000 bump to $225,000 this season. Tight ends coach Scott Sallach received a $5,000 raise to $135,000.
Wide receivers coach Angelo Mirando, who spent last season as a graduate assistant, will make $75,000 this year. He made $1,000 a month as a grad assistant last season, but impressed Mullen in bowl preparations after filling in for Mark Hudspeth, who left to become head coach at Louisiana-Lafayette. Hudspeth made $190,000 last year.
Collectively, MSU”s assistants” salaries increased by $70,000 annually (to $1,990,000).
University of Florida assistants will make a little less than $3 million next season, with first-year offensive coordinator Charlie Weis set to make $765,000 next season. Florida”s assistants coaches salaries rank in the top 10 nationally.
