Stockstill - Highest Paid Coach in SBC

[Oiler]

Where does Bustle's salary rank among his peers in the conference? Is the growth of the football program at UL being limited by the salary of the head coach position? The question I have is this. Is UL paying market price for a head coach or not? If the coaches salaries at UL are not at the top of the conference, can we really expect our teams to consistently compete at the top? And if our salaries ARE at, or near, the top in the conference, heads need to roll.

[CajunZ1]

Parrott,

Would you say it's accurate that within the next 5 years, it would be basically impossible to get our athletic budget to 20M+ without student fees for athletics?

I can't help but feel we're fighting a losing battle with this money thing... even within the SBC!

[Parrott]

_ Parrott,

Would you say it's accurate that within the next 5 years, it would be basically impossible to get our athletic budget to 20M+ without student fees for athletics?

I can't help but feel we're fighting a losing battle with this money thing... even within the SBC! _

Right now, UL and ULM are the only two Sun Belt schools that don't have student fees. Those schools are also in the bottom tier nationally from a financial standpoint. The two issues are tied together.

With continued budget cuts and no student fees, UL will struggle to survive in I-A until it gets the RCAF fully established. When that happens, it won't much matter what cuts are made by the state.

For long-term success, UL needs a strong RCAF and must find a way to get student fees. It's going to be a tough fight because of the current power structure, but it has to happen for the program's sake.

[zephyr]

_ Stockstill turned down better money at both Memphis and East Carolina. He took the team to a bowl in 2006 (Motor City) and 2009, winning the New Orleans Bowl. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz left for Mississippi State, but most of the team returns in 2010. Plus he has restored the academic and APR issues. Bottom line is that MTSU is rewarding him for staying instead of jumping ship. If MTSU wins again in 2010, he will get more looks from other schools.

As for FIU, few teams in the country dealt with more injuries in 2009. I believe the Golden Panthers had at least eight season-ending injuries to starters or backups and ended up playing the nation's second-most true freshmen (17) behind only Tulane (18) and Texas A&M (18). In 2010, their projected starting QB is former Mississippi State All-SEC Freshman Wesley Carroll, plus WR TY Hilton is back. Their backs are young but talented. Once their line play improves, they will be a beast with all of the talent there and the league's largest budget. ($21 million of the school's $24 million budget is from just student fees.)

igeaux.mobi _

Understood. Younger and McCall were also highly thought of guys when they came in. While they weren't bad players, they didn't exactly light up the SBC. I understand the injury issue as well as we dealt with that in 2008. However, they have been bringing in talent on paper for several years now and have done nothing to even get into the top 3-4 teams in the SBC. I will believe it when I see them put one year together.

MTSU, as I mentioned, probably overpaid for Stockstill but he has been fairly consistent and did a great job restoring their scholarships. However, to just assume they will ascend to the top of the SBC is also premature. FAU did this a few years ago as well with back to back bowl wins but they are lagging behind right now in recruiting and they will likely not be a top 4 team next year. Troy is definitely the gold standard in this conference right now but i think there is a lot more parity in the SBC and it will be like this for a while.

[HoustonCajun]

_ Understood. Younger and McCall were also highly thought of guys when they came in. While they weren't bad players, they didn't exactly light up the SBC. I understand the injury issue as well as we dealt with that in 2008. However, they have been bringing in talent on paper for several years now and have done nothing to even get into the top 3-4 teams in the SBC. I will believe it when I see them put one year together.

MTSU, as I mentioned, probably overpaid for Stockstill but he has been fairly consistent and did a great job restoring their scholarships. However, to just assume they will ascend to the top of the SBC is also premature. FAU did this a few years ago as well with back to back bowl wins but they are lagging behind right now in recruiting and they will likely not be a top 4 team next year. Troy is definitely the gold standard in this conference right now but i think there is a lot more parity in the SBC and it will be like this for a while. _

I don't think I would look at it as his being overpaid, but rather that our coach is underpaid. It appears the minimum salary for a 1A coach is about $350K, the exceptions to that being UL, ULM and Ark State. Stockstill took them to a bowl, restored scholarshps, has their APR in line and is sought after by other programs. It is all about what happened last year and where the program is headed. They don't have to win the conference. Look at the SEC coaches. Only one can win the conference, but look at their salaries. Certainly, the SBC coaches won't make those kind of salaries but on a relative basis, an increase is warranted. I think Bustle should also be paid at least $300K as I posted already. UL should pay him the maximum a coach can be paid by a university in Louisiana, $225K, then supplement the $75K with RCAF with further incentives for a conference championship, bowl appearance and bowl victory. It is rediculous that UL is only paying Bustle $200K. That no one has sought to increase to the maximum of $225K in 8 years is pretty sad. Now that RCAF is a year old, it needs to do something.

[Oiler]

_ Right now, UL and ULM are the only two Sun Belt schools that don't have student fees. Those schools are also in the bottom tier nationally from a financial standpoint. The two issues are tied together.

With continued budget cuts and no student fees, UL will struggle to survive in I-A until it gets the RCAF fully established. When that happens, it won't much matter what cuts are made by the state.

For long-term success, UL needs a strong RCAF and must find a way to get student fees. It's going to be a tough fight because of the current power structure, but it has to happen for the program's sake. _

At what point will RCAF be considered "fully established"?

[zephyr]

_ I don't think I would look at it as his being overpaid, but rather that our coach is underpaid. It appears the minimum salary for a 1A coach is about $350K, the exceptions to that being UL, ULM and Ark State. Stockstill took them to a bowl, restored scholarshps, has their APR in line and is sought after by other programs. It is all about what happened last year and where the program is headed. They don't have to win the conference. Look at the SEC coaches. Only one can win the conference, but look at their salaries. Certainly, the SBC coaches won't make those kind of salaries but on a relative basis, an increase is warranted. I think Bustle should also be paid at least $300K as I posted already. UL should pay him the maximum a coach can be paid by a university in Louisiana, $225K, then supplement the $75K with RCAF with further incentives for a conference championship, bowl appearance and bowl victory. It is rediculous that UL is only paying Bustle $200K. That no one has sought to increase to the maximum of $225K in 8 years is pretty sad. Now that RCAF is a year old, it needs to do something. _

I could and certainly would agree.

[Boomer]

I've got a question---Can a company give say 100k to Bustle as part of his salary for doing a commercial---The company then writes this off as an advertising expense!!!!! Can a country club membership or spa treats for wives or free meals be worked into a salary schedule???? what about a free condo for vacations????

[Oiler]

_ I've got a question---Can a company give say 100k to Bustle as part of his salary for doing a commercial---The company then writes this off as an advertising expense!!!!! Can a country club membership or spa treats for wives or free meals be worked into a salary schedule???? what about a free condo for vacations???? _

Paying Bustle an extra $200K won't make him a better coach or recruiter. For whatever they are worth, both Rivals and Scout have the incoming UL class ranked near the bottom of the D-1 schools in the nation. ULM is even ranked ahead of UL and they just hired a proven loser as their NEW head coach. I know that teams ranked at the bottom regularly deny the validity of the rankings, but look at the teams ranked at the top. They are the teams that regularly WIN and compete for championships. Even if the rankings are far from perfect, consistently being at the bottom is not a good thing.

[Hammer58]

_ Paying Bustle an extra $200K won't make him a better coach or recruiter. For whatever they are worth, both Rivals and Scout have the incoming UL class ranked near the bottom of the D-1 schools in the nation. ULM is even ranked ahead of UL and they just hired a proven loser as their NEW head coach. I know that teams ranked at the bottom regularly deny the validity of the rankings, but look at the teams ranked at the top. They are the teams that regularly WIN and compete for championships. Even if the rankings are far from perfect, consistently being at the bottom is not a good thing. _

Go back the past 5 years and see where moanroe's recruiting classes have been ranked by these services compared to us. Look at the number of "stars" they get. Hell, just search back on this message board at this time every year and you will find the same complaints. But look back over the past 5 years and look at monroe's record versus ours and our record head to head. Not saying we have been leaps and bounds better but we've at least been better. But if you based predictions on the recruiting class rankings we should have been much worse.

I'm still waiting for one of these recruiting services to go back 4 or 5 years and compare the actual performance of those recruits to the predictions.

[zephyr]

_ Paying Bustle an extra $200K won't make him a better coach or recruiter. For whatever they are worth, both Rivals and Scout have the incoming UL class ranked near the bottom of the D-1 schools in the nation. ULM is even ranked ahead of UL and they just hired a proven loser as their NEW head coach. I know that teams ranked at the bottom regularly deny the validity of the rankings, but look at the teams ranked at the top. They are the teams that regularly WIN and compete for championships. Even if the rankings are far from perfect, consistently being at the bottom is not a good thing. _

That's because the teams at the top have the highest rated recruits. Many, if not all of these recruits have been followed, evaluated and monitored since their sophomore seasons. The disparity in coverage and rankings is not at the top. The disparity comes from recruits who may have serious talent but were unrecognized until perhaps the end of their junior years or so and had breakout years their senior season. There is also a perception battle that we have to fight in comparison to those teams at the top. We may sign a 3 star guy as he's being recruited by larger schools but when he signs with us, he is reduced to a 2 star ranking. This happens all the time. I would be that you could swap any of the schools ranked after about 80 or so and you could hardly tell the difference in their talent level if you were to judge 2 years down the line.

[HoustonCajun]

_ That's because the teams at the top have the highest rated recruits. Many, if not all of these recruits have been followed, evaluated and monitored since their sophomore seasons. The disparity in coverage and rankings is not at the top. The disparity comes from recruits who may have serious talent but were unrecognized until perhaps the end of their junior years or so and had breakout years their senior season. There is also a perception battle that we have to fight in comparison to those teams at the top. We may sign a 3 star guy as he's being recruited by larger schools but when he signs with us, he is reduced to a 2 star ranking. This happens all the time. I would be that you could swap any of the schools ranked after about 80 or so and you could hardly tell the difference in their talent level if you were to judge 2 years down the line. _

Read this article in today's Houston Chronicle about Turner Gill's contract at KU for $2M. His base salary is $229,000, which is not unlike Louisiana's max salary of $225,000. The difference is other incentives and outside income from tv & radio. Yet, they get to announce his salary as $2M.

Why not structure Bustle's salary as $225,000 base with incentives similar to what KU did which might bring his salary up to $500,000, for example, and announce that as his salary as KU did (as the incentives would be on a smaller scale)?

Why does UL always low ball everything from attendance figures to salaries? What is Bustle's actual package? If he doesn't have these tv & radio outside income and other winning incentives, then why does he not have them?


LAWRENCE, Kan. — Turner Gill's five-year contract as head football coach at Kansas will pay him $2 million a year, including $1.7 million for television, radio and other media responsibilities.

Gill will be the fifth-highest paid football coach in the Big 12. He will make slightly less than Mark Mangino was paid before he resigned under pressure last year following an investigation into his treatment of players.

The school said Thursday that Gill's annual base salary is $229,900 but has several performance bonuses available. For example, he will get $25,000 if Kansas wins a regular-season conference championship, $50,000 for playing in a BCS game and $100,000 if he is named national coach of the year.

If the Jayhawks win their first national championship with the former Nebraska star quarterback as the head coach, Gill will get an extra $200,000.

[zephyr]

_ Read this article in today's Houston Chronicle about Turner Gill's contract at KU for $2M. His base salary is $229,000, which is not unlike Louisiana's max salary of $225,000. The difference is other incentives and outside income from tv & radio. Yet, they get to announce his salary as $2M.

Why not structure Bustle's salary as $225,000 base with incentives similar to what KU did which might bring his salary up to $500,000, for example, and announce that as his salary as KU did (as the incentives would be on a smaller scale)?

Why does UL always low ball everything from attendance figures to salaries? What is Bustle's actual package? If he doesn't have these tv & radio outside income and other winning incentives, then why does he not have them?


LAWRENCE, Kan. — Turner Gill's five-year contract as head football coach at Kansas will pay him $2 million a year, including $1.7 million for television, radio and other media responsibilities.

Gill will be the fifth-highest paid football coach in the Big 12. He will make slightly less than Mark Mangino was paid before he resigned under pressure last year following an investigation into his treatment of players.

The school said Thursday that Gill's annual base salary is $229,900 but has several performance bonuses available. For example, he will get $25,000 if Kansas wins a regular-season conference championship, $50,000 for playing in a BCS game and $100,000 if he is named national coach of the year.

If the Jayhawks win their first national championship with the former Nebraska star quarterback as the head coach, Gill will get an extra $200,000. _

My first guess would be that Kansas' boosters and private funding groups are much stronger and possibly more loyal to them than ours. We have to win over many people here that give to LSU rather than UL. I think the private funding is the overall answer. However, getting that funding base up is not only left to the school but to the community.

[HoustonCajun]

_ My first guess would be that Kansas' boosters and private funding groups are much stronger and possibly more loyal to them than ours. We have to win over many people here that give to LSU rather than UL. I think the private funding is the overall answer. However, getting that funding base up is not only left to the school but to the community. _

Seems like UL could pay him $225K, then supplement with $75K by the RCAF to $300K. Then give him incentives like:

$25,000 - if UL averages over 25,000 per home game
$25,000 - for winning the SBC Championship
$25,000 - for going to a bowl game
$15,000 - for being named SBC Coach of the Year
$100,000 - for going to a BCS Bowl game
$ ? - for radio & tv

Isn't this what the RCAF is being set up for, at least partially? Using this example, his salary could be announced at over $500,000, depending on what the radio & tv package pays. And, its not just the RCAF funding. Increased revenue from higher game attendance and bowl games would pay for some of this. We'll have to structure something for a new coach if Bustle is gone after this year. Why not throw out these carrots to him and any other coach? These are incentives he has to earn rather than just pay him $500K a year. If he earns them, the increased publicity, recognition, program perception, fan support, attendance and donations should more than cover the added costs.

[zephyr]

_ Seems like UL could pay him $225K, then supplement with $75K by the RCAF to $300K. Then give him incentives like:

$25,000 - if UL averages over 25,000 per home game
$25,000 - for winning the SBC Championship
$25,000 - for going to a bowl game
$15,000 - for being named SBC Coach of the Year
$100,000 - for going to a BCS Bowl game
$ ? - for radio & tv

Isn't this what the RCAF is being set up for, at least partially? Using this example, his salary could be announced at over $500,000, depending on what the radio & tv package pays. And, its not just the RCAF funding. Increased revenue from higher game attendance and bowl games would pay for some of this. We'll have to structure something for a new coach if Bustle is gone after this year. Why not throw out these carrots to him and any other coach? These are incentives he has to earn rather than just pay him $500K a year. If he earns them, the increased publicity, recognition, program perception, fan support, attendance and donations should more than cover the added costs. _

I'm sure it is. But keep in mind all of the renovations that are being supported by RCAF and facility upgrades that must come in order to be on par with other mid-major universities. Also, why would they do this if Bustle is on the hotseat and possibly on his way out within a year or two? There are a lot of questions but few answers.