USA Today released their updated database of college football assistant coaching salaries on Sunday, and Illinois dished out a total of $2,011,208 during the 2015 season. That figure is good for No. 56 in the country (that doesn't include some private schools). Co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Mike Phair ($450,000) led all staff members during his first year with the program.
Here's a closer look at the salaries, including possible bonuses for each staff member:
| COACH | SCHOOL PAY | OTHER PAY | TOTAL PAY | MAX BONUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Phair | $450,000 | -- | $450,000 | $70,000 |
| Tim Banks | $412,000 | $600 | $412,600 | $51,500 |
| Alex Golesh | $206,000 | $725 | $206,725 | $41,200 |
| Mike Ward | $206,000 | $500 | $206,500 | $41,200 |
| Tom Brattan | $206,000 | -- | $206,000 | $41,200 |
| Al Seamonson | $185,400 | -- | $185,400 | $37,080 |
| Mike Bellamy | $180,000 | -- | $180,000 | $36,000 |
| Nathan Scheelhaase | $83,333 | -- | $83,333 | $10,000 |
| Ryan Cubit | $80,650 | -- | $80,650 | $16,130 For comparison, here are the 25 programs with the highest total assistant coaching salaries:
Going further down the list, Central Florida, Colorado, Rutgers, Virginia, Kansas, Purdue, Army, and Iowa State also paid their assistants more than Illinois. |