Coaching football at auburn is a lucrative endeavor

Hey everyone. So during my furlough, details were revealed surrounding salary revisions that (positively) affected the football staff.

Key theme: People gettin' rich

Most folks received a 10% bump. Here are the details.

GENE CHIZIK receives a raise of $200k per year ($1.9 million ---> $2.1 million)

GUS MALZAHN receives a raise of $150,000 per year ($350k ---> $500k)

TED ROOF RUSTED receives a raise of $37,000 per year ($370k ---> $407k)

TROOPER TAYLOR receives a raise of $32,000 per year ($320k ---> $352k)


TRACY ROCKER receives a raise of $30,000 per year ($300k ---> $330k)

JEFF GRIMES receives a raise of $29,000 per year ($290k ---> $319k)

CURTIS LUPER receives a raise of $26,000 per year ($260k ---> $286k)

TOMMY THIGPEN receives a raise of $25,000 per year ($250k ---> $275k)

JAY BOULWARE receives a raise of $21,000 per year ($210k ---> $231k)

PHILLIP LOLLEY receives a raise of $21,000 per year ($210k ---> $231k)

**My thoughts on this: Now, understand that I am someone who just ended my third one-week, mandatory, unpaid furlough during the past calendar calendar year. Many people in my tax bracket are feeling the sting of the country's economic depression recession in similar ways.

In that sense, throwing around 10 percent raises seems untoward.

There is justification. Surely this past football season stoked enthusiasm among the fan base. That leads to an increase in money raised, earned and gathered. So, in that sense, it's reasonable to give the football coaches a salary bump.

We all knew Malzahn was due. His alleged interest in jobs at Memphis and Louisiana Tech was far less serious than I expected, which led me to believe a lucrative financial package was being formulated behind the scenes. And that happened.

Still, a 42-percent raise? Seems unnecessarily steep to me.

Chizik now makes $2.1 million, which is reasonable given SEC context.

I always get skittish about re-upping contracts so soon. He signed the original deal a year ago, which provided him plenty of protection in the event Auburn elected to fire him before the contract's expiration. Had Auburn been awful last year, Jay Jacobs would not have approached Chizik to negotiate a lower buyout or salary.

Yet when Auburn plays (reasonably) well, Jacobs feels the need to sweeten Chizik's deal. It's reckless in a sense. Chizik isn't going anywhere. You know that. I know that. Jay Jacobs should know that.

Summary: Mostly reasonable. I don't think Malzahn deserves this kind of money yet.