Not all that long ago, it was crazy to think that a college assistant coach would be making $1 million. When that barrier was broken, it quickly became the standard for a top-notch coordinator as the era of the first $2 million per year coordinators were ushered in, led by LSU's Dave Aranda, Clemson's Brent Venables, and Texas A&M's Mike Elko - all defensive coordinators.
Aranda, Venables and Elko top this year's list as each of them bring in at least $2 million per year.
This year, 24 assistant coaches make $1 million or more according to the annual USA Today assistant coaches database. That figure is up a few from last year, when 21 assistants were in the $1 million per year territory.
One trend is clear with the information USA Today provides - the money is on the defensive side of the ball.
Interestingly, 9 of the top 10 highest paid coaches in college football are on the defensive side of the ball, with Alabama's Steve Sarkisian as the lone outlier at #7. By my count, 19 of the top 25 paid coaches in college football all call the defensive side of the ball home.
While athletic directors may lean toward hiring offensive guys for head coaching jobs, head coaches are investing their monetary resources on the defensive side of things.
Perhaps most notable on the list as a huge bargain is the salary for Broyles Award semifinalist Joe Brady, who LSU has gotten at a bargain at just $410,000 annually. That really isn't bad considering it's Brady's first full-time job at the major college level. Reports during the off season state that LSU is ready to step up to NFL coordinator type money to keep Brady around after being considered by nearly everyone as the driving force behind their offensive success.
Head here to see the full run down, as Steve Berkowitz and his team do such an outstanding job with this every year.