Ohio State has committed nearly $12 million annually to assistant coaches alone, with total staff expenditures exceeding $24 million. This investment signals the program’s determination to maintain elite status in college football’s increasingly competitive financial landscape.
As programs nationwide navigate the complexities of coach compensation and NIL deals, the Buckeyes have prioritized building a comprehensive support structure. This approach focuses not just on tactical expertise but on developing infrastructure that maximizes player potential from recruitment through NFL preparation.
Insider Reveals Real Reason Ohio State’s $12M Coaching Staff Is Worth Every Penny
“Jeremiah Smith came in with his weight, came in with his frame. You can’t teach height, you can’t teach speed, but you can hone it,” explains college football analyst R.J. Young when discussing strength and conditioning coordinator Mick Mariotti’s million-dollar salary and approach to talent development.
Young elaborates using an automotive metaphor.
“Don’t break the car—a Ferrari’s fast. Your job is to make sure that the oil is always changed. It is always in good working order,” Young said.
Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia tops the assistant salary chart at $2.5 million, just $250,000 less than was offered to Jim Knowles, who took a contract that’s going to pay him just over three million at Penn State.
The investment extends beyond on-field coaches to critical support roles like Mark Pantoni, whose salary nearly doubled to $900,000. Young characterizes him as “one of the best not just procurers of talent but talent evaluators in football period full stop.”
Assistant contracts include progressive performance incentives with bonuses ranging from 10% for making the playoff to 35% for winning the national championship, aligning staff goals with program success rather than individual achievement.
Young frames these expenditures as necessary for championship contention.
“I would stop thinking about just how much people are spending and I would start thinking about this is the cost to buy in. This is the cost to get to the table,” Young said.
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“Ryan Day is going out of his way to tell everybody, Hey, look, I know we spent money, but money didn’t buy us a championship. Yeah. But you can definitely lose one if you don’t have enough money,” Young continued.
As college football evolves with NIL transforming player compensation, Ohio State’s approach provides a competitive advantage.
“They get to pay the guys that they recruited out of high school that were very interested in going to Ohio State and nowhere else,” Young said, emphasizing how the program focuses its resources on retaining committed talent rather than overspending in the transfer portal.
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