Last year gave us our first $2 million tight ends coach.
Sure, most of that $2 million Clemson paid Tony Elliott last year was to coordinate the offense but, still, Elliott coached Clemson's tight ends and he made $2 million, and so college football had its first $2 million tight ends coach.
Elliott is now Virginia's head coach, and given a clean slate to structure his offensive staff to his whims, Elliott mirrored what he knew at Clemson. Des Kitchings coordinates Virginia's offense while also coaching the Cavaliers' tight ends.
Alas, we don't yet know how much Kitchings makes to do so, but we've got plenty of data on his peers elsewhere. Ohio State's Kevin Wilson is the highest-paid assistants that coaches tight ends, and Michigan State's Ted Gilmore is college football's highest-paid tight ends coach.
The full list:
1. Kevin Wilson, Ohio State -- $1.4 million*
2. Mike Denbrock, LSU -- $1.3 million*
3. Vince Marrow, Kentucky -- $1.2 million+
4. Jeff Banks, Texas -- $1 million+
5. Brian Ferentz, Iowa -- $860,000*
6. Tyler Bowen, Virginia Tech -- $850,000*
7. Alex Golesh, Tennessee -- $750,000*
8 .Jay Harbaugh, Michigan -- $600,000+
9. Ted Gilmore, Michigan State -- $541,000
10. Joe Jon Finley, Oklahoma -- $520,000
11. John David Baker, Ole Miss -- $510,000+
12. Andy Kotelnicki, Kansas -- $500,000*
12. Kyle Richardson, Clemson -- $500,000+
12. Chris Thomsen, Florida State -- $500,000
15. Sean Beckton, Nebraska -- $450,000
15. Todd Hartley, Georgia -- $450,000
17. John Lilly, North Carolina -- $440,000
18. James Coley, Texas A&M -- $425,000+
18. Erik Link, Missouri -- $425,000+
20. Dowell Loggains, Arkansas -- $400,000
21. Todd Goebbel, NC State -- $370,000
22. Jason McEndoo, Oklahoma State -- $365,000
23. Brad Bedell, Auburn -- $350,000
23. Derek Sage, UCLA -- $350,000+
23. Jody Wright, South Carolina -- $350,000
23. Freddie Whittingham, Utah -- $350,000
PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS: Wide Receivers | Defensive Line | Defensive Backs
-- Missing: Joe Cox (Alabama), William Peagler (Florida), Des Kitchings (Virginia).