Of the 25 highest-paid offensive line coaches in college football, only 11 hold a title beyond that of offensive line coach. Among those 11, three are offensive coordinators.
What does this tell us?
Head coaches don't have to distribute titles to offensive line coaches; the importance of the position is self-evident. Next to quarterback, it's the most important position on the field. (Defensive line would get my vote for No. 3, or perhaps No. 2B.) The O-line not only determines how often the offense scores (or doesn't score), in turn, it also controls how many snaps the defense plays.
Offensive line is also the hardest position to evaluate coming out of high school. Very, very few 17- and 18-year olds leave high school with the type of body ready to push college defensive linemen and linebackers around. The offensive line coach is most often projecting what a recruit will look like plus 20 good pounds or minus 20 bad pounds.
For those reasons, a head coaches doesn't have to pound the table to give his O-line coach a raise. You think a good O-line is expensive? he can tell his AD or the holders of the purse strings on the university's board of regents, just imagine how expensive the bad ones are.
Without further ado, here are the highest-paid offensive line coaches in college football:
1. Kyle Flood, Texas -- $1.175 million*
2. Chris Kapilovic, Michigan State -- $1 million+
3. Sherrone Moore, Michigan -- $900,000+
3. Eric Wolford, Alabama -- $900,000
5. Brad Davis, LSU -- $830,000
6. Justin Frye, Ohio State -- $800,000+
6. Adrian Klemm, Oregon -- $800,000+
8. Bill Bedenbaugh, Oklahoma -- $770,000
9. Glen Elarbee, Tennessee -- $750,000
10. Joe Rudolph, Virginia Tech -- $725,000+
11. Will Friend, Auburn -- $700,000
11. Cody Kennedy, Arkansas -- $700,000
13. Brennan Carroll, Arizona -- $660,000*
14. Brent Key, Georgia Tech -- $650,000+
14. Stacy Searels, Georgia -- $650,000
16. Alex Atkins, Florida State -- $625,000*
16. Bob Bostad, Wisconsin -- $625,000
16. Zach Yenser, Kentucky -- $625,000
19. Jim Harding, Utah -- $600,000+
20. Greg Adkins, South Carolina -- $550,000
20. Charlie Dickey, Oklahoma State -- $550,000
20. Marcus Johnson, Missouri -- $550,000*
20. Brandon Jones, Houston -- $500,000+
24. Mason Miller, Mississippi State -- $495,000+
25 Bart Miller, Illinois -- $475,000
* - Offensive coordinator
+ - Co-coordinator/run game coordinator/assistant head coach
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Missing: Steve Addazio (Texas A&M), Rob Sale (Florida), Jack Bicknell, Jr. (North Carolina),