Big Ten Coaches Who Deserve a Raise
From top to bottom, there's no college football conference in the nation with better head coaches than the Big Ten.
Still, there are only three coaches in that league in the nation's top 12 in salaries, according to USA Today. So, the argument could be made that there are several guys in the conference deserving of a boost in pay.
While a big-name sideline stomper like Michigan's Jim Harbaugh has star power and recognition, he already makes plenty of money, especially considering he hasn't won anything of any consequence yet for the Wolverines.
If he's the precedent, shouldn't Ohio State's Urban Meyer, Penn State's James Franklin and even Wisconsin's Paul Chryst make more?
The Big Ten is also full of up-and-coming coaches who look like they're ready to make a name for themselves such as Purdue's Jeff Brohm, Minnesota's P.J. Fleck and Maryland's D.J. Durkin. But they have yet to make a monster splash at their current gigs.
Others like Harbaugh are a tick above market value. Then, an argument can be made Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and Illinois' Lovie Smith are overpaid. But who deserves more bank for the bang they get out of the buck?
Here are the five Big Ten coaches worth more than they make.
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
1 of 5
The former Northwestern standout knows the lay of the land at his alma mater as well as any coach in the country.
Academic standards are high, there's not a sturdy recruiting base and they have to battle against some of the best programs in the country for Midwestern athletes, taking a back seat to programs like Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State.
Still, Pat Fitzgerald does strong work year in and year out for the Wildcats, who continue to win games. This is the equivalent of a Vanderbilt holding its own in the SEC, Duke in the SEC or Stanford in Pac-12. It's just not easy.
But the favorite son who won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award twice as a player is 82-65 in his career as head coach at Northwestern, and he isn't going anywhere any time soon. He's 32nd nationally in salary at $3.35 million annually, good for eighth in the Big Ten.
He coaches like he played, with a tough love.
"He loves winning, whatever the W looks like, but as a defensive guy, his whole DNA is linebacker," defensive end Deonte Gibson told ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg in 2015. "When we practice, he sometimes runs through drills like a linebacker. He's still got it a little bit."
Fitzgerald took Northwestern to consecutive bowl games from 2008-12, and during that time he led the Wildcats to their first bowl victory since 1948. That's how hard it is to win at Northwestern.
Still just 42 years old, Fitzgerald doesn't act like he wants to be anywhere else. He's worth the money he's making and more at NU.
Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
2 of 5
Last year was an ugly blemish on Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio's otherwise brilliant career in East Lansing, Michigan.
The Spartans went 3-9, leading some to question whether he may be losing his touch. But, this season MSU is back to where it belongs, with a 6-2 record and already with yet another win over Michigan.
That's more in line with what you're used to seeing from the Spartans, who went 11-2 in 2010, 11-3 in 2011, 7-6 in 2012, 13-1 in 2013, 11-2 in 2014 and 12-2 in 2015.
Oh yeah, did we mention that Dantonio owns the Wolverines?
"Michigan sells the past and hope. Dantonio sells reality," Spartan Nation's Hondo Carpenter wrote after this year's 14-10 win over the Wolverines. "In a world looking for truth and reality, Dantonio offers up a buffet of results."
It's tough to argue with that line. Dantonio is 8-3 versus the hated Big Blue.
That alone is worth the $4.39 million he earns a year, which is good enough for 16th nationally and fifth in the conference. When it comes to results, Dantonio should probably make more than Harbaugh and definitely Kirk Ferentz. He's 114-61 in his coaching career, and 96-44 with the Spartans.
He can recruit, develop players and produce NFL talent. And did we mention he owns Michigan?
James Franklin, Penn State
3 of 5
A little more than a season ago, some national pundits were discussing Penn State coach James Franklin being on the hot seat.
Then came a rousing upset of Ohio State, a run that ended with a Big Ten Championship Game victory and a spot in the Rose Bowl, where the Nittany Lions lost a thrilling game to USC.
For an encore, they started 2017 with a 7-0 record before the Buckeyes paid them back this past weekend with a rousing come-from-behind win in Columbus, Ohio.
But make no mistake, Franklin has cemented himself as one of the premier coaches in the conference as well as the entire nation. He can recruit with the best of them, is the orchestrator of one of the most dynamic offenses in the nation and normally produces quality defenses, too.
Plus, he's got the kind of swagger you want your head coach to have.
This is a program that dealt with the dark, embarrassing Jerry Sandusky and Joe Paterno scandal before Bill O'Brien did some heavy lifting in helping PSU move beyond it. Franklin continues to help the Lions distance themselves from that and be known again for their on-the-field product.
He's 32-16 in Happy Valley, and his $4.6 million salary is 12th nationally. It will probably only grow as he keeps winning. He signed a three-year $19.75 million contract extension before the season, taking him through 2022.
"Nothing has changed from the commitment that we made to Coach Franklin and the commitment James made to Penn State just before this season started," a recent PSU statement said, according to the Daily Collegian's Matt Martell.
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Urban Meyer, Ohio State
4 of 5
It may seem crazy to think that Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is underpaid. He's fourth nationally, making a shade over $6.43 million per season.
There's no reason to think he'll get a major raise soon, considering the only coaches ahead of him on the list are Alabama's Nick Saban, Clemson's Dabo Swinney and Harbaugh. He at least deserves to be ahead of Harbaugh on that list and probably Swinney, too.
If somebody made a major run at Meyer, Ohio State would do whatever it took to keep him, and it should. The only consistently better all-around coach in the nation is Saban.
He's an elite recruiter, wins big every year, has the Buckeyes in contention for the College Football Playoff each season, peppers the NFL draft with studs and does whatever it takes to win.
After a particularly embarrassing 30-0 season-ending loss to eventual national champion Clemson a year ago in the College Football Playoff, Meyer vowed to fix his offense. He went out and hired former Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson, who has transformed quarterback J.T. Barrett into a Heisman Trophy contender.
Following last week's win over Penn State, the Buckeyes again are on a collision course with the playoffs.
It's just another year for Meyer, who is worth every penny of his contract. He sits at the helm of one of the most powerful teams in all of college football, a brand-name program that can go anywhere in the nation and convince kids to head to Columbus.
Coaches like Woody Hayes, John Cooper and Jim Tressel won before him, but Meyer is at the very top of the list, not only currently but ever.
Paul Chryst, Wisconsin
5 of 5
There's no program in the country as quietly consistent as Wisconsin.
Barry Alvarez enjoyed a long run with the Badgers, and Bret Bielema kept a strong surge going until he left and flamed out in Arkansas. But the latest under-the-radar hire who continues to win at a high level is Paul Chryst.
After just three seasons at Pittsburgh where he was the definition of mediocre with a 19-19 record, he somehow got the Wisconsin job. In three years, he's 29-6, including an 8-0 record this season. Though you never expect the Badgers to dominate, they do.
And it happens every year.
Chryst is perfect for the school's mentality, playing a low-mistake, hard-nosed, defense-first brand of football that is characterized on offense by a run-heavy scheme. This year, freshman Jonathan Taylor is the catalyst, as he is turning into a potential Heisman Trophy candidate.
Like Chryst's coaching record, his recruiting is rarely lauded, but it continues to produce players who win at a high clip in one of the nation's toughest conferences. He went to Wisconsin, and he embodies the program.
"Paul Chryst is the guy for Wisconsin," iSportsWeb's Jordan Fremstad wrote last year. "… He played for Wisconsin, he coached there in the past and knows everything about Wisconsin. If he learns to recruit and finds a way to beat Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, etc, the athletic department better pay him or he will find another job that will."
If there's anybody in the Big Ten who deserves a raise, it's Chryst, who is 36th nationally with a $3.2 million annual salary.
Unless otherwise noted, stats courtesy of Sports Reference and cfbstats, and recruiting data courtesy of Scout.
Brad Shepard covers college football for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @Brad_Shepard.
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