Courtesy of a hefty buyout from his former gig, Georgia Tech will be paying Al Groh a relative pittance compared to the going rate for high-quality coordinators across the nation, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting.
Upon being fired by Virginia at the end of the 2009 season, Groh received a buyout of just over $4 million. With that little nest egg in place, the Yellow Jackets were able to go low in their effort to raise the quality of Paul Johnson‘s coaching staff.
As the Yellow jackets’ new coordinator, Groh will make “just” $150,000 annually on his two-year contract. There’s also an option in his contract, which must be exercised before Dec. 15, 2011, that would increase his annual pay to at least $344,000.
By comparison, Groh will be an utter pauper when viewed side by side with his NCAA brethren. Todd Grantham will pull in $750,000 a year after being hired by Georgia. South Carolina’s Ellis Johnson was just approved for a raise that will bump his pay to $700,000.
Monte Kiffin and Will Muschamp are in a whole other league than anyone else as they made $1.2 million and $900,000, respectively.
The $150K for Groh is a tad misleading, though. Groh, the paper reports, will receive a minimum bonus of $321,000 on or before Jan. 12, 2012, regardless of whether he’s still at the school or not.
