Ever wonder what your favorite college football coach is making? Look no further, USA Today has released a very comprehensive spreadsheet that lays out how much almost any coach is making. Until this year Boston College has only released how much their coach made once (Tom O'Brien in 2006). For reasons unknown to this writer, BC released how much Frank Spaziani is making this season. What does three wins cost Boston College? Why, only $1,079,410 ... or roughly $359,803 a win. What a deal!
But before we jump all over BC for paying Spaziani so much, let's put a few things in perspective. Comparative to what other coaches make in the ACC, Spaziani is a relative steal. As you can see below Spaz doesn't make anywhere near the amount anyone who is a head coach the ACC (who didn't start the season as a coordinator).
| Program | Coach | School Pay | Other Pay | Total Pay | Bonus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida St. Seminoles | Jimbo Fisher | $2,750,000 | $0 | $2,750,000 | $725,000 |
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | Paul Johnson | $2,369,000 | $0 | $2,369,000 | $1,125,000 |
| Virginia Tech Hokies | Frank Beamer | $2,243,000 | $85,000 | $2,328,000 | $407,500 |
| Maryland Terrapins | Randy Edsall | $2,013,440 | $0 | $2,013,440 | $875,000 |
| N.C. State Wolfpack | Tom O'Brien | $932,950 | $945,000 | $1,877,950 | $750,000 |
| Clemson Tigers | Dabo Swinney | $1,833,333 | $13,000 | $1,846,333 | $775,000 |
| Virginia Cavaliers | Mike London | $1,780,000 | $14,679 | $1,794,679 | $715,000 |
| Duke Blue Devils | David Cutcliffe | $1,762,895 | N/A | $1,762,895 | N/A |
| Boston College Eagles | Frank Spaziani | $1,079,410 | N/A | $1,079,410 | N/A |
| North Carolina Tar Heels | Everett Withers | $500,000 | N/A | $500,000 | $100,000 |
| Miami Hurricanes | Al Golden | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
In terms of looking at what Spaziani makes in a grand scale it's also interesting to note that he is near the bottom of all coaches in AQ conferences. The only other AQ coaches that make less than Spaz are Doug Marrone of Syracuse, Jon Embree of Colorado and Joe Paterno of Penn State (before he was fired). Kind of stunning to see that Nick Saban is making $4.9 mil a year, and Mack Brown is taking in $5.1 million.
Because BC is a private school we may never know what / if they are still paying Jeff Jagodzinski when they fired him three years ago. At this point you have to assume the settlement isn't affecting the current budget, but with the amount they are paying Spaz in comparison to other ACC coaches it isn't out of the question. Say what you will about Spaz but how is he making $700,000 less than David Cutcliffe?
If BC decides to fire Spaziani, it may handcuff BC from finding a solid replacement even from smaller conferences. Some of the names that have been floated around for fun include Houston's Kevin Sumlin ($1.2 mil) or Navy's Ken Niumatalolo ($1.5 mil).