Norvell's New Memphis Contract Will Benefit Staff, Too

The Memphis football team spent nearly $2 million on assistant coaches' salaries during the 2017 season, and that figure probably will rise after coach Mike Norvell agreed to a new contract extension with the university on Tuesday.

The Tigers' nine assistant coaches earned a combined $1,998,500 this past year, according to the latest USA TODAY NCAA football assistant coach salary database released Wednesday. Among the team's assistants, defensive coordinator Chris Ball had the highest annual salary at $355,000.

Memphis ranked 56th in the country, fourth in the American Athletic Conference and fifth among Group of Five teams in total assistant coach pay, according to the information obtained by USA TODAY.

The Tigers were behind Cincinnati, Central Florida, Houston and Boise State, although the database did not include assistant coach salaries for SMU, Tulane, Tulsa and Navy.

But Memphis could have the highest-paid Group of Five staff in the country next season after Norvell signed his five-year, $13 million contract extension. According to two people with direct knowledge of the agreement, the new deal includes a provision that increases the salary pool for Norvell's assistant coaches and football staff by $250,000 to $3.01 million.

Last May, when Norvell agreed to a one-year contract extension that did not change his compensation package, the salary pool for his assistants and staff also rose by $250,000 to $2.76 million this season.

Norvell's new contract extension, and its average annual salary of $2.6 million, makes him the highest-paid head coach from a Group of Five school. Cincinnati currently pays its assistant coaches a combined $2,326,250, which is more than any other non-Power 5 conference school.

The $3.01 million figure set aside in Norvell's new contract does not include the salary for a 10th assistant allowed by the NCAA effective Jan. 9.

In addition to his nine current assistant coaches, Norvell's football staff also includes non-coaching positions such as strength and conditioning coach, director of football operations, director of high school relations, director of player relations, director of player personnel and director of recruiting operations.

Ball ranked as the seventh-highest paid coordinator in the AAC, according to the USA TODAY database. Offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey ($275,000) and offensive line coach/run game coordinator Ryan Silverfield ($265,000) were the next highest-paid coaches on Norvell's staff this year.

Here are the 2017 salaries for all nine Memphis assistant coaches this year:

Defensive coordinator Chris Ball: $355,000

Offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey: $275,000

Offensive line coach/run game coordinator Ryan Silverfield: $265,000

Defensive line coach Paul Randolph: $242,500

Special teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach Joe Lorig: $188,000

Inside linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator Dan Lanning: $175,000

Wide receivers coach David Johnson: $175,000

Defensive backs coach Marcus Woodson: $163,000

Quarterbacks and tight ends coach Kenny Dillingham: $160,000

Liberty Bowl tickets moving fast

Memphis associate athletic director Mark Alnutt said Tuesday night that the school already had sold out its initial allotment of tickets to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

The university has requested more tickets from Liberty Bowl officials, and they can be purchased through the athletic department's official website, gotigersgo.com.

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