The Penn State athletic department knew that if they wanted to help their football team's defense stay consistent, this time it was going to cost them.
The Nittany Lions had been through four defensive coordinators in four years before Bob Shoop joined the team along with James Franklin. Shoop helped the Lions put together one of the nation's top defenses this year, so when LSU came calling, they knew keeping him around would be costly...but worthwhile.
Shoop is now set to make just under $1 million annually, making him one of the nation's highest-paid coordinators. Here's a look at how Shoop's new contract stacks up to the rest of that list (based on 2014 data):
1. Bud Foster, Virginia Tech DC: $1,369,500
2. Kirby Smart, Alabama DC: $1,355,850
3. Cam Cameron, LSU OC: $1,355,850
4. John Chavis, LSU DC: $1,312,300 (Chavis was hired away by Texas A&M, leading to LSU reaching out to Shoop)
5. Chad Morris, Clemson OC: $1,301,250 (Morris was hired as SMU's head coach in early December)
6. Todd Grantham, Louisville DC: $975,000
7. Bob Shoop, Penn State DC: ~950,000
8. Pat Narduzzi, Michigan State DC: $907,033 (Narduzzi left MSU to become the head coach at Pitt in late December)
9. Mike Norvell, Arizona State OC: $901,560
10. Phil Bennett, Baylor DC: $897,926
Information from usatoday.com was used for salary data
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