Back 'in the day', was publicized that Woody gave several of his raises to his assistant coaches. He famously said 'I've got enough, so want some to go to my assistants' or somesuch wording. Always thought that was cool. Also believe that Day/Bjork will reward those assistants who produce in recruiting talent, and how well their position group performs on the field. Script, do you have an update of the 2026 salaries for the group you can post? Would think a side-by-side year-over-year picture would be telling. Lest we forget, for the working stiffs of the world (including me), $500,000 a year isn't chump change. And, inevitably, other schools are going to try to poach these guys, especially the high performers (see above), and we'll see how Day/Bjork respond. Maybe Day would take a cut to help out? Dunno.
Matt Patricia becomes college football’s highest-paid assistant coach with a $3.75 million salary while Arthur Smith will make $1.5 million in his first year at Ohio State.
www.elevenwarriors.com
Matt Patricia Becomes College Football’s Highest-Paid Coordinator With $3.75 Million Salary, Arthur Smith to Make $1.5 Million in 2026
March 10, 2026
Matt Patricia is now the highest-paid assistant coach in college football.
After leading the nation’s top defense in his first year with the Buckeyes in 2025, Ohio State’s defensive coordinator will make $3.75 million in 2026 as part of a new three-year contract. His salary will increase to $3.85 million in 2027 and 2028, per the terms of his contract, which was obtained by
Eleven Warriors on Tuesday through a public records request.
Patricia’s new contract comes after he received offers from NFL teams that were interested in hiring him as their defensive coordinator. Ultimately, Patricia decided to stay at Ohio State, and Ohio State made sure he was compensated accordingly.
“Did he have options? Yes. But I think he found a lot of joy in making an impact on these guys' lives at a different point in their lives than what he was used to in the NFL. And so we were able to work something out to keep him here,” Ryan Day said Tuesday.
“We knew that was important. The guys really enjoy working with him and learning from him.”
OHIO STATE'S 2026 ASSISTANT COACH SALARIES
| MATT PATRICIA |
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR |
$3,750,000 |
$2,500,000 |
+$1,250,000 |
2029 |
| TIM WALTON |
ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/CO-DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR/SECONDARY COACH |
$1,800,000 |
$1,800,000 |
$0 |
2028 |
| LARRY JOHNSON |
ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH/DEFENSIVE LINE COACH |
$1,600,000 |
$1,400,000 |
+$200,000 |
2027 |
| ARTHUR SMITH |
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR |
$1,500,000 |
N/A* |
N/A |
2028 |
| KEENAN BAILEY |
CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/TIGHT ENDS COACH |
$1,000,000 |
$650,000 |
+$350,000 |
2028 |
| TYLER BOWEN |
OFFENSIVE LINE COACH/RUN GAME COORDINATOR |
$1,000,000 |
$900,000 |
+$100,000 |
2028 |
| MATT GUERRIERI |
PASSING GAME COORDINATOR/SAFETIES COACH |
$1,000,000 |
$900,000 |
+$100,000 |
2028 |
| CORTEZ HANKTON |
WIDE RECEIVERS COACH |
$900,000 |
$1,000,000* |
-$100,000 |
2028 |
| JAMES LAURINAITIS |
LINEBACKERS COACH |
$900,000 |
$500,000 |
+$400,000 |
2028 |
| BILLY FESSLER |
PASSING GAME COORDINATOR/QUARTERBACKS COACH |
$750,000 |
$475,000 |
+$275,000 |
2028 |
| CARLOS LOCKLYN |
RUNNING BACKS COACH |
$700,000 |
$650,000 |
+$50,000 |
2028 |
| ROBBY DISCHER |
SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR |
$400,000 |
$400,000* |
$0 |
2028 |
| *Hankton coached at LSU and Discher coached at Illinois in 2025. Arthur Smith was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator in 2025, but his NFL contract was not subject to public record. |
New Ohio State offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will make $1.5 million in 2026 and $2 million in 2027 on a two-year contract. Wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton will make $900,000 in 2026 and $1 million in 2027 on a two-year contract. New special teams coordinator Robby Discher will make $400,000 in 2026 and $450,000 in 2027 on a two-year contract.
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In total, Ohio State will pay its assistant coaches $15.3 million in 2026, its largest assistant coach salary pool ever, after expanding its full-time coaching staff from 10 coaches to 12. That’s an increase of more than $3.5 million from 2025, when Ohio State paid its assistant coaches $11.775 million in salary, not including bonuses.
That’s in addition to the $12.5 million Ohio State will pay Day, who’s in the second year of a seven-year contract that he signed with Ohio State last year.
Ohio State and national champion head coach Ryan Day have agreed in principle to a new seven-year contract with a total annual compensation of $12.5 million.
www.elevenwarriors.com
Ryan Day, Ohio State Agree On a New Seven-Year Contract Valued at $12.5 Million Per Year
February 6, 2025
Ryan Day has a new contract.
Ohio State announced Thursday that Day and the school's athletic department have agreed in principle to a new seven-year contract, worth $12.5 million in total annual compensation, that will keep the head football coach in Columbus through the 2031 season. Terms of the contract, which add three years to his current agreement.
In addition to his base pay, Day will also remain eligible for a multitude of bonuses based on his team’s performance, as listed below:
- $50,000 for a team GPA of 3.0 or higher, which increases to $100,000 if GPA is 3.3+ and $150,000 if GPA is 3.5+
- $50,000 for a Big Ten Championship Game appearance, which increases to $250,000 for a Big Ten Championship Game win
- $100,000 for a College Football Playoff appearance, which increases to $250,000 for a quarterfinal appearance, $300,000 if Ohio State earns a first-round bye into the quarterfinals, $350,000 for a semifinal appearance, $500,000 for a national championship game appearance and $1 million for a national championship game win
- $50,000 for a Big Ten Coach of the Year award
- $100,000 for a national coach of the year award
Should Ohio State fire Day without cause, it would owe Day a buyout of $11.5 million per year for each remaining year on the contract, though he would be required to pursue other work and those buyout payments would be reduced by his pay in his subsequent job.
Day would owe Ohio State a $6 million buyout if he left Ohio State before Jan. 31, 2026. That buyout decreases to $4 million on Feb. 1, 2026 and by $500,000 for every subsequent year thereafter, down to $2 million if he leaves Ohio State after Feb. 1, 2030 and no buyout if he leaves Ohio State after Feb. 1, 2031.