Not that his bank account really needs it, but Urban Meyer’s bosses have decided that he’s deserving of a little more financially than what his contract calls for.
Citing an open-records request, USA Today‘s Steve Berkowitz is reporting that Ohio State’s Board of Trustees approved an eight-percent raise for what were described as “certain components of his compensation package.” Meyer’s contract calls for “just” a six-percent raise in said components.
As a result, Meyer’s actual raise will go from the previously-scheduled $321,000 to just under $480,000.
The raise, which went into effect Feb. 1 of this year, will push Meyer’s compensation to just north of $6.4 million for 2017. Meyer will fall in line behind three head coaches at the FBS level when it comes to compensation: Alabama’s Nick Saban at $11 million ($4 million of which is a signing bonus), Clemson’s Dabo Swinney at $7.5 million on his ($1.5 million of which is a signing bonus), and the $7 million being paid to Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh.
Of the four highest-paid FBS head coaches, three -- Saban, Swinney and Meyer -- have won at least one national championship. The other hasn’t won a conference championship as a Power Five head coach and has finished third in the Big Ten East his first two seasons in Ann Arbor.
In the midst of his sixth season with the Buckeyes, Meyer is 66-7 overall and 42-2 in Big Ten play. In addition to winning the national championship in 2014, Meyer is 5-0 against archrival Michigan.
