New LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda’s contract will make him among the highest-paid assistants in college football and includes a hefty buyout.
The Baton Rouge Advocate reports that Aranda is set to make $1.2 million this fall in the first season of a three-year deal. Clemson’s Brent Venables, Texas A&M’s John Chavis and Louisville’s Todd Grantham are believed to be the only defensive coordinators nationally with higher salaries. Aranda made $522,000 last season at Wisconsin.
LSU OC Cam Cameron is set to make at least $1.5 million this season.
As for a buyout, Aranda would have to pay LSU 50 percent of his remaining salary should he leave for a non-head coaching job at an SEC or FBS school within a 500-mile radius.