What will Ole Miss’ football assistants be paid in 2018?
Published 6:00 am Tuesday, February 20, 2018
- Ole Miss defensive line coach Freddie Roach at spring football practice in Oxford, Miss. on Thursday, March 2, 2017. (Bruce Newman, Oxford Eagle via AP)
The newest additions to Ole Miss’ coaching staff are on multi-year contracts while one of the Rebels’ assistants will receive a significant raise in 2018.
Charles Clark, who will help coach the Rebels’ secondary, and linebackers coach Jon Sumrall are on two-year deals that will pay each of them $350,000 next season, according to contract figures obtained by the EAGLE through an open-records request. Clark, the former Ole Miss defensive back who spent last season coaching Oregon’s cornerbacks, was hired as the Rebels’ 10th on-field assistant in January while Sumrall came from Troy to replace Bradley Dale Peveto, who took a job on Jimbo Fisher’s staff at Texas A&M last month.
Clark’s salary will increase to $375,000 in the second year of his deal.
Meanwhile, defensive line coach Freddie Roach will make $500,000 next season as part of a new three-year contract — an increase of $175,000 from the base salary he made last season in his first year on staff — with a hefty buyout clause in the first year of the deal. Should Roach leave for another on-field assistant position before Dec. 1, he’d be on the hook for one year’s worth of salary.
Roach’s buyout drops to $125,000 if he leaves any time between Dec. 2 and Dec. 1, 2019. Clark and Sumrall would each owe $125,000 or one-fourth of their salary remaining on their contract, whichever is less.
Receivers coach Jacob Peeler, who’s on a one-year deal, will make $425,000 next season after making $375,000 last season.
Defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff and offensive coordinator Phil Longo each had their original contracts extended by a year. McGriff is on a three-year contract that will pay him $1.1 million next season while Longo will make $700,000 next season in the first of a two-year deal.
McGriff’s contract calls for a buyout of $250,000 or one-fourth of the remaining salary on his deal, whichever is less. Longo’s buyout is $125,000 or one-fourth of the salary left on his contract, whichever is less.
The buyouts for McGriff and Longo would become void if either was hired as a college head coach or NFL assistant. Those jobs as well as a coordinator position in college would negate any position coach’s buyout.
Running backs coach Derrick Nix, tight ends coach Maurice Harris and offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. are on one-year contracts that will pay them $400,000 each next season. Bicknell made $150,000 from August to December last season.
Cornerbacks coach Jason Jones will also make $400,000 next season in the second year of a two-year contract.
Head coach Matt Luke, who had the interim tag removed in November, is entering the first year of a four-year contract that will pay him $3 million next season and increase by $100,000 each year after that for the duration of his contract. Luke will also receive $150,000 for each Power-Five win during the regular season, $150,000 for each SEC win starting with the third one each season and a $250,000 bonus if Ole Miss plays in a New Year’s Six bowl game (Sugar, Rose, Orange, Cotton, Fiesta or Peach).