Alabama will pay its assistant football coaches slightly less in 2018 than last year, largely due to a pair of Southeastern Conference Western Division foes helping supply the tab.
Despite the NCAA’s recent addition of a 10th assistant coach for the first time, Alabama will pay its 2018 staff a combined $5.95 million after forking over $5.99 million during the 2017 season, when the Crimson Tide won their fifth national championship of the Nick Saban era. This year’s salaries for Alabama’s assistants were approved this week by the university’s board of trustees compensation committee.
First-year offensive coordinator Mike Locksley is scheduled to earn $1.2 million, matching the salary of predecessor and current Buffalo Bills offensive coorinator Brian Daboll. New defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi will make $1.1 million, which is less than the $1.3 million Jeremy Pruitt earned last year before becoming the head coach at Tennessee.
Pruitt was scheduled to earn $1.4 million this season in Tuscaloosa and $1.5 million next year as part of the three-year contract he received last May.
Alabama also is saving money by paying new quarterbacks coach Dan Enos $200,000 this year and $250,000 next year, which is well under the $800,000 he made last season as the Arkansas offensive coordinator. Arkansas will pay Enos $350,000 this year and $250,000 in 2019, according to buyout terms that went into effect last November following the removal of Razorbacks head coach Bret Bielema after five seasons.