Contracts, pay set for FSU football coaches

Florida State's quest to rejoin college football's elite lunged forward again on Sunday with a series of pen strokes by athletics director Randy Spetman.

By signing off on multi-year contracts for five new assistant coaches and salary increases for three holdovers, Spetman formalized Jimbo Fisher's first coaching staff.

According to contracts released by the university Monday morning, new defensive coordinator Mark Stoops will be Fisher's top-paid assistant coach; he will earn $400,000 a year, including $195,000 to be paid by Seminole Boosters Inc., in exchange for speaking engagements and other public relations.

That is about $75,000 more than former defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews earned in his final season and $116,000 more than Stoop made last year at Arizona, according to USA Today's national database of college football coaches' contracts.

"I am very impressed with the caliber of coaches that Coach Fisher has assembled," Spetman said in a statement released by Florida State. "The total salary for the 2010 coaching staff will be almost identical to the budget we had for the 2009 coaching staff."

FSU was able to accomplish that – spreading raises throughout the staff while not exceeding last year's budget – by reallocating its savings at the head coach and offensive coordinator positions. Fisher's base salary is about $700,000 less than predecessor Bobby Bowden's $2.5 million deal, and new offensive coordinator James Coley will make about $325,000 less than Fisher's previous $629,000 salary.

Though FSU will have nowhere near the highest-priced coaching staff in the country, the Seminoles will be more in line with the nation's top-tier schools. Aside from the salary adjustments, the most substantial change is that every assistant coach now will have the security of a multi-year contract.

"We do have more coaches on multi-year contracts, and that is just where the market is for coaches who are in high demand," Spetman said. "We look forward to a very exciting spring practice and I know our players are chomping at the bit to get in front of the new staff."

Here is a look at the terms of the contracts released Monday:

• Stoops — three years, $400,000 annually, including $195,000 for speaking and PR engagements.
• Coley — three years, $305,000 annually, including $100,000 for speaking and PR.
• New running backs coach Eddie Gran — three years, $305,000 annually, including $100,000 for speaking and PR.
• New linebackers coach Greg Hudson — two years, $305,000 annually, including $100,000 for speaking and PR.
• Defensive line coach Odell Haggins — two years, $250,000 annually, including $45,000 for speaking and PR.
• Receivers coach Lawrence Dawsey — two years, $220,000 annually, including $15,000 for speaking and PR.
• New quarterbacks coach Dameyune Craig — two years, $175,000 annually.
• New defensive ends coach D.J. Eliot — two years, $175,000 annually.

Haggins, Dawsey and Coley received raises of different amounts. Offensive line coach Rick Trickett, who earns $333,000, renegotiated his contact last February and is in the middle of a multi-year deal.

FSU also will pay $160,000 to strength and conditioning coach Vic Viloria, who was lured away from SMU.