Lincoln Riley and all 10 assistant football coaches' salaries were elevated at Wednesday's Board of Regents meeting, resulting in new contract details for every coach.
Riley signed a contract extension Jan. 1 — three days after Oklahoma's 45-34 loss to Alabama in the Orange Bowl — that is worth $6 million in 2019 and will go through 2024. He could make up to $7.6 million in his final year of the contract. In Riley's first season as head coach (2017) he made $3.1 million compared to the $4.8 million he made in 2018. He has also now passed former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops in his final season (2016) in which he made $5.5 million. Based off 2018 contracts, Riley is now the ninth highest paid head coach in college football, according to USA Today.
Oklahoma Athletics Director Joe Castiglione knows the importance of keeping a coach like Riley, who has gained increasing attention from NFL teams.
"We wanted to move with the appropriate speed — we certainly wanted to put coach Riley in the best position," Castiglione said. "We have an extraordinary head coach in Lincoln Riley, and what he's done with our program in two years, in a lot of ways, is unprecedented."
Oklahoma has one of the youngest staffs in the country, with five coaches under the age of 40 and an average age of 42.5. Riley, 35, added three new coaches this offseason all on the defensive side. Newly hired defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, along with Brian Odom (inside linebackers) and Roy Manning (cornerbacks), are expected to restore Oklahoma's defense in 2019 and were paid accordingly.
Grinch is set to make $1.4 million in 2019, which makes him the highest paid assistant in OU history. Riley was supposed to make $1.3 million in 2017 as the offensive coordinator before he took over as head coach. Grinch, by 2018 standards, makes him the 10th highest paid college football assistant, according to USA Today. Grinch made $800,000 last season at Ohio State. Manning will make $425,000, while Odom will make $375,000.
"I think we can create something here on defense that's just as attractive to prospected defensive players at the collegiate level to come here — to be excited to be a part of a defensive identity as we've created on the offensive side of the ball," Castiglione said. "That's the way we have to think."
The most noticeable pay raises came on the offensive side of the ball, with offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh now making $750,000 ($125,000 raise) and wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons now making $460,000 ($60,000 raise).
Every other coaching contract was also evaluated. Here's a look at how much each coach will make in 2019:
- Lincoln Riley, head coach: $6,000,000
- Alex Grinch, defensive coordinator: $1,400,000
- Bill Bedenbaugh, offensive line: $750,000
- Cale Gundy, inside receivers: $535,000
- Dennis Simmons: outside receivers: $460,000
- Shane Beamer, tight ends and special teams: $470,000
- Jay Boulware, running backs and special teams: $470,000
- Calvin Thibodeaux, defensive line: $375,000
- Roy Manning, cornerbacks: $425,000
- Brian Odom, inside linebackers: $375,000
- Ruffin McNeill, outside linebackers: $575,000
- Bennie Wylie, strength and conditioning: $380,000
