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Where Ohio State football assistant coaches' salary pool ranks nationally in 2023

joey kaufman, columbus dispatch
·2 min read

Ohio State’s assistant salary pool is the highest among public schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season, according to USA TODAY Sports’ annual survey of staff salaries.

Only three schools have on-field staffs making a combined total of more than $9 million, led by the Buckeyes at $9.32 million, followed by two-time defending champion Georgia at $9.23 million and Alabama at $9.17 million.

Five of the Buckeyes’ 10 assistant coaches are earning at least $1 million this season, led by defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

Nov 4, 2023; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles warm up players during the NCAA football game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Ohio State won 35-16.
Nov 4, 2023; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles warm up players during the NCAA football game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Ohio State won 35-16.

With a base salary of $1.96 million, Knowles is the third-highest paid assistant in the FBS, trailing only Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley at $2.1 million and Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb at $2 million.

The other seven-figure assistants at Ohio State are offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline ($1.6 million), defensive line coach Larry Johnson ($1.67 million), offensive line coach Justin Frye ($1 million) and secondary coach Tim Walton ($1 million).

The next-highest paid assistants on staff are running backs coach Tony Alford ($772,500), safeties coach Perry Eliano at ($515,000), special teams coach Parker Fleming ($500,000), quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis ($412,000) and tight ends coach Keenan Bailey ($400,000).

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The Buckeyes also had the largest staff pool among the FBS public schools last year with combined salaries worth $8.83 million.

The compensation does not include potential postseason bonuses.

Ohio State is one of only three schools within the top-10 that are not current members of the Southeastern Conference or are poised to join the league next year.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on Facebook and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He can also be contacted at jkaufman@dispatch.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Where Ohio State football assistant coaches' salary pool ranks in 2023