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Big Ten has the Bucks, but SEC coaches pull in the big bucks
December 31, 2007
Doug Lesmerises
Columbus -- As Ohio State's defensive coordinator, Jim Heacock leads the No. 1 defense in the country. As LSU's defensive coordinator, Bo Pelini leads the No. 2 defense in the country.
Heacock won the Broyles Award this year as the nation's top assistant college football coach. Pelini won an even greater reward -- he will leave after the BCS National Championship game to coach Nebraska.
What will separate them when the Buckeyes and the Tigers meet in the New Orleans Superdome in a week? How about $161,000 in base salary.
Pelini made $400,000 in base salary this season as part of a package that a source said pushed him over the $500,000 mark. Heacock made $239,000 and earned an extra month's bonus, worth about $20,000, for OSU's Big Ten title and another for the Buckeyes' bowl appearance.
"Bo is a superstar," said his agent, Neil Cornrich of Beachwood-based NC Sports, who represents many top head coaches and assistants. "You look at where he's gone and what he's done, it's unbelievable."
After sliding to college from the NFL, Pelini succeeded at Nebraska in 2003, winning a bowl game as interim coach when Frank Solich was fired. Moving on, he reached the national title game as the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma the next year, then was hired by LSU. He is compensated as a hot commodity.
