Ace Reporter: Tennessee's Salary Pool, Spurrier and Meyer
Some news, notes and scuttlebutt on the Tennessee salary situation everyone is talking about, on the end of Steve Spurrier's honeymoon at South Carolina, and on Urban Meyer's views on undefeated teams.Tennessee's salary pool won't reach $6 million
By the time Lane Kiffin completes his football staff, Tennessee will be the nation's pace setter for assistant coaches' salaries.
But the total amount paid to the football staff - including the head coach - will rank between third and fifth in the SEC, according to Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton, who I spoke with this week.
Hamilton said the pool for assistant coaches will not reach $4 million, but he would not put a definitive number of it. He also said the total for the entire staff would not reach $6 million, but he didn't put a figure on that, either.
According to the Vol AD, one SEC school last year paid $7.15 for the entire football staff. While he didn't identify the school, it is believed to be Alabama.
Hamilton said two other SEC schools paid about $5.7 million and $5.8 million. Those schools are believed to be Florida and LSU. Both will pay more this season.
Because Lane Kiffin still has three assistant coaching positions to fill, Hamilton is unsure what the exact pool of money for all football coaches will be. But it projects to be just shy of $5.7 million.
``The pool will be between third and fifth in the SEC,'' Hamilton said.
However, if Lane Kiffin gets into another bidding war - like he did for Orgeron and Georgia assistants Rodney Garner - that could push the amount higher.
Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin will be paid about $1.5 million a year, which includes an annual retention bonus. Defensive line coach Ed Orgeron will make $650,000. The combined salaries of Monte Kiffin and Orgeron will exceed the amount paid to UT nine assistants last year.
Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney will be in the same range as last year's offensive coordinator Dave Clawson -- $340,000.
That's almost $2.5 million for three assistants.
If Tennessee stays below the $4 million total for the assistants - as Hamilton said it will - then the average salary for the other six Vol assistants will be less than $250,000. Lane Kiffin has hired four assistants directly from the NFL. He is believed to be considering two other current NFL assistants.
Also, he is expected to announce that he will keep Stan Drayton on the staff, probably as running backs coach. Drayton would be the only hold over from the Phillip Fulmer regime. He served just one season under Fulmer.
Lateral penalty waived for UT assistants
Former Tennessee assistants Greg Adkins and Latrell Scott will not have to pay a penalty for making a lateral move in leaving the Vols' staff, Hamilton said.
Adkins took a job at Syracuse and Scott at Virginia.
In recent years, Tennessee gave assistants two-year contracts and coordinators three-year deals. Hamilton said that, in return, assistants had to pay back to the athletic department six months' salary if they made a lateral move. The clause was added at the urging of Fulmer, Hamilton said.
Hamilton said he felt it was unfair to enforce the provision considering Lane Kiffin hadn't decided whether to retain those coaches.
``I waived the lateral move separation penalty for Adkins and Scott,'' Hamilton said. ``You've got to be humane about it. It's just the right thing to do in the situation we're in.''
If tight ends coach Jason Michael were to make a lateral move, Hamilton said he wouldn't be forced to pay UT six months of his salary, either.
Honeymoon over for Spurrier
Joe Person, the outstanding reporter who covers South Carolina for The State in Columbia, said the honeymoon is over for Steve Spurrier.
Spurrier is six games over .500 after four seasons in Columbia, and he's no closer to winning an East Division title than he was his first season. All that promise when Spurrier was hired has flittered away in frustration over an offense that seams to get worse by the season.
``If South Carolina goes 6-6, you're probably talking about a new coach,'' Person said. ``The honeymoon period is definitely over. Fans don't have much to hang their hat on.''
In his first three seasons at South Carolina, Spurrier had wins over Tennessee, Florida and Georgia - his three main rivals in the East Division. But Vanderbilt has beaten South Carolina two in a row and the Gamecocks were awful down the stretch, getting blown out by Florida, Clemson and Iowa in the Outback Bowl.
Some wondered if a number of players quit on Spurrier.
Moreover, South Carolina fans were outnumbered about 3-1 by Iowa fans in Tampa. The Gamecocks only sold about 10,000 tickets to the game.
South Carolina's reputation for ``undying fan support took a hit,'' Person said.
Meyer changes mind on undefeated comment
When Florida hired Urban Meyer away from Utah, Meyer said he didn't think the Utes could go undefeated in the SEC because of the weekly grind and lack of depth at the Mountain West school.
He did say, however, that if Utah was the only undefeated team in the country, it should be ranked #1.
Times have changed.
Four years later, Utah is the nation's only undefeated team. But the Utes have no chance to win the national title. That will go to the winner of Thursday's Florida-Oklahoma game in Miami. Florida and Oklahoma each have one defeat.
How does Meyer feel about unbeaten Utah now?
According to Frank Frangie, who covers the Gators and does a daily sports talk show in Jacksonville, Meyer has made it clear that he's changed his mind.
