The unofficial online home for fans of the Western Michigan University Broncos. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

hahahaha. This thread is a blast.

(10-26-2016 04:46 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  

(10-26-2016 04:32 PM)Nacho Wrote:  It just so happens that USA Today recently updated their coaching salaries database. Pretty big eye-opener to see how far WMU is behind on compensation for the head ball coach.

http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/

Far behind who? Big Ten and SEC coaches?

He's the highest paid MAC coach by over $100k not including incentives.

He's the highest paid by over $300K, actually. Far behind a lot of other top G5 programs though.

(10-26-2016 05:14 PM)tayles mullet Wrote:  

(10-26-2016 04:46 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  

(10-26-2016 04:32 PM)Nacho Wrote:  It just so happens that USA Today recently updated their coaching salaries database. Pretty big eye-opener to see how far WMU is behind on compensation for the head ball coach.

http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/

Far behind who? Big Ten and SEC coaches?

He's the highest paid MAC coach by over $100k not including incentives.

He's the highest paid by over $300K, actually. Far behind a lot of other top G5 programs though.

PJ has set the record for compensation in the MAC... a coach who came to WMU with absolutely NO head coach experience. I think he's done pretty well for himself... and I think that WMU has protected itself by only being on the hook for about 200k of his annual salary... the rest is privately funded... The "coffers" i eluded to in another response was an obvious reference to the concept of tapping into the deep pool of wealthy WMU alums... I just don't think that KB can put together enough to compete with the high level P5's that are going to come calling...

I wouldn't be surprised to see him in Oregon next year...

That'd be awesome. I hate Oregon.

(10-26-2016 05:14 PM)tayles mullet Wrote:  

(10-26-2016 04:46 PM)MajorHoople Wrote:  

(10-26-2016 04:32 PM)Nacho Wrote:  It just so happens that USA Today recently updated their coaching salaries database. Pretty big eye-opener to see how far WMU is behind on compensation for the head ball coach.

http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/salaries/

Far behind who? Big Ten and SEC coaches?

He's the highest paid MAC coach by over $100k not including incentives.

He's the highest paid by over $300K, actually. Far behind a lot of other top G5 programs though.

You might want to check that.

820,000-675,000=145,000.

PJ has the opportunity to make over $1.1 million at WMU this year with bonuses. But he's only got up to $951,000 so far. It's in the report.

Base salaries is apples to apples mullet.

Read an interesting Deadspin article today in relation to the USA Today report on coaches' salaries. Don't have a link to the article, but it's titled "College Football Coaches Are Getting Insane Buyout Clauses."

According to the article, many P5 coaches in recent years have secured buyout clauses in the tens of millions of dollars. The top three are Jimbo Fisher (FSU) at $33.1 million, Meyer at $27.4 million, and Harbaugh at $25.5 million. That's a ton of money, but considering those schools represent the top of the FBS food chain, the numbers (while insane) are at least understandable to a degree. Then there's this, though:

- Kirk Ferentz of Iowa has a $25.3 million buyout clause.
- Lovie Smith of Illinois has a $19.3 million buyout clause.
- Bronco Mendenhall of Virginia has a $14.5 million buyout clause.
- Chris Ash of Rutgers has a $9.5 million buyout clause.

It's one thing if the FSUs, OSUs, and U-Ms of the world can afford to pay that. The fact that the Illinois' and Rutgers' of the P5 world could potentially afford to pay tens of millions of dollars toward a coach's buyout is eye-opening, though. That's guaranteed money, regardless of performance, that would be extremely hard for any coach to turn down.

It's hard to see how WMU - or just about any other G5 school, for that matter - can compete with that.

Can't. A few million here and there? You're talking some serious money. P5's can pull that off because they get so much federal and private money for being research universities, and don't have to answer to the state about how their athletic department's are pulling from the general fund which the state is propping up.

When a G5 school says it has boosters that want to pay a coaches salary? The state wants to know why they're pulling from the general fund which it's tightening up to balance an athletic budget.

BIG DIFFERENCE. Comprende`?

The Houston guy's making $2.5 from what I gathered before (which including bonuses, where, Fleck, maximum running the table would get around $1m at most). Doesn't have to be exact and all, but point is, yeah, Houston pays a Good P5 salary for a MAC->P5 jump.

But I have heard Houston likes to hire within, although this is only Hermy's 2nd year as HC. The quicker they leave, the harder it is to keep "within", and the more suitable looking elsewhere can be.

However, if I'm PJ, I may rather take $2.x at Purdue than $2.x at Houston -- going to a G5, still in the midwest, and not a slap to what you've done by hopping over to another G5 (granted, the highest paying one alongside Boise, probably). The plus side to Houston is that he'd be hitting the ground running. Bad news is, he runs it "his way", so it'd risk a big shift downward for a bit, where at Purdue, you can start from scratch all ya want. That's just hypothesizing, though.

And as far as Hermy leaving to Texas with a huge buyout themselves -- one thing is in the way: Houston's faltering right now. Not that impressive. It may be due to Hermy talking to Texas, tho. He better not pull a Darnell. :)

(10-26-2016 11:58 PM)Moomba Wrote:  Can't. A few million here and there? You're talking some serious money. P5's can pull that off because they get so much federal and private money for being research universities, and don't have to answer to the state about how their athletic department's are pulling from the general fund which the state is propping up.

When a G5 school says it has boosters that want to pay a coaches salary? The state wants to know why they're pulling from the general fund which it's tightening up to balance an athletic budget.

BIG DIFFERENCE. Comprende`?

I agree you can't get on a level playing field between P5 and G5. But, I think the P5's can pull it off more from the conference revenue sharing and TV deals they get. Doesn't matter if you are P5 or G5, if you are a public university there will be questions about how you use your general fund. It's simply easier to balance an athletic budget when you have all the extra millions that come along from the deals with ESPN or BTN to play with for coaching salaries and use that money to subsidize the other programs. At G5's, you don't get enough to subsidize the other sports. If donors give money specifically for a program or coach's salary, that wouldn't run through the general fund.

The question is not can WMU find more $, you can always find more, the question is what is the number Fleck needs to commit long term here.

Think in terms of Coach working to convince a recruit, why should you sign to ROW with WMU rather then head down to Cincinnati or Purdue?

Same things apply.

(10-27-2016 06:37 AM)BusinessBronco Wrote:  

(10-26-2016 11:58 PM)Moomba Wrote:  Can't. A few million here and there? You're talking some serious money. P5's can pull that off because they get so much federal and private money for being research universities, and don't have to answer to the state about how their athletic department's are pulling from the general fund which the state is propping up.

When a G5 school says it has boosters that want to pay a coaches salary? The state wants to know why they're pulling from the general fund which it's tightening up to balance an athletic budget.

BIG DIFFERENCE. Comprende`?

I agree you can't get on a level playing field between P5 and G5. But, I think the P5's can pull it off more from the conference revenue sharing and TV deals they get. Doesn't matter if you are P5 or G5, if you are a public university there will be questions about how you use your general fund. It's simply easier to balance an athletic budget when you have all the extra millions that come along from the deals with ESPN or BTN to play with for coaching salaries and use that money to subsidize the other programs. At G5's, you don't get enough to subsidize the other sports. If donors give money specifically for a program or coach's salary, that wouldn't run through the general fund.

So to answer my own question, NO. Almost all athletic budgets run in the red for public universities btw. It's not about that.

IF as an org you're hitting the general fund to tighten up any other fund, and the state is tightening up the general fund, then you have to answer to the state. It's that simple.

So again, the schools who are major research universities, obtain big federal grants and private donations are at a big advantage for that reason, they're not beholden to the state legislatures to determine where their money goes in other funds.

Quote:Think in terms of Coach working to convince a recruit, why should you sign to ROW with WMU rather then head down to Cincinnati or Purdue?

Right now, WMU is ranked and Cinci is far from it. Granted, pound for pound a non-directional name in a G5 is better-sounding. They're P5-joining worthy if/when P5 opens up more to accept more teams (but not first in line).

For a coach, I think it'd be better to sign with Cinci when needing a place to sign. For a player at this point? I don't think it'd be a huge deal.

And Purdue right now? Bottom P5 team, although a bit improved this year, but still. I think in the end if PJ was there, he'd have more pull, sure. PJ will make any team low right now better, if their HC.