As expected, Michigan State is giving head coach Mark Dantonio and his staff well-deserved bumps in pay. The new contract for Dantonio, which was announced on Friday, will see Dantonio be paid $4.3 million per year through January 15, 2020. Michigan State will also set aside an extra $250,000 to be used on assistant coaching salaries.
“The University remains committed to providing all of the tools necessary to sustain a championship-caliber football program,” Dantonio said. “I wish to thank President Simon, Mark Hollis, the Board of Trustees and the entire administration for their trust, loyalty and support.
With the new $4.3 million annual salary, Michigan State has made Dantonio the third highest paid coach in the Big Ten. Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh ($7 million), Ohio State’s Urban Meyer ($5.86 million), and Penn State’s James Franklin ($4.4 million) still rank ahead of the Spartans head coach, but he did pass Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz ($4.075 million). Outside of Meyer at Ohio State, no coach in the Big Ten is as accomplished a coach as Dantonio, so the raise is justified and earned. Dantonio has coached Michigan State to a 36-5 record over the past five seasons and the program has soared to new heights after a bit of a transition phase for Dantonio as a head coach in East Lansing. In addition to two Big Ten titles and a spot in the playoff, Dantonio has also coached Michigan State to victories in the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl.
The breakdown of Dantonio’s new contract is as follows;
- $2,264,480 base compensation
- $1,000,000 supplemental compensation
- $700,000 contingent annual bonus
- $185,520 benefits
- $100,000 Nike apparel agreement (that’s a lot of Air Jordans)
- $50,000 guaranteed performance incentives
“With a berth in the College Football Playoff this past season, Coach Dantonio has again shown his excellence in building a nationally prominent football program,” Michigan State President Lou Anna K. Simon said in a released statement. “He is an outstanding leader committed to MSU’s values who empowers his players to become the best Spartans they can be, whether on the field, in the classroom or as part of the MSU community.”
