UW football assistants rewarded for record-setting 2017 season

MADISON – The most successful season in the history of Wisconsin’s football program led to pay increases of more than $1 million for the eight assistant coaches back from 2017.

According to figures provided by UW officials on Wednesday:

Defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield is set to be paid $400,000 this season, an increase of $185,000.

Special teams coach Chris Haering, who also is in charge of in-state recruiting, is to be paid $425,000. That is an increase of $175,000.

Wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore, who oversaw the rapid development of a young unit, is to be paid $400,000. That is an increase of $135,000.

Inside linebackers coach Bob Bostad, reportedly a candidate last winter to move to Notre Dame to coach the offensive line, is to be paid $375,000. That is an increase of $75,000.

Tight ends coach Mickey Turner is to be paid $175,000, an increase of $50,000.

Coupled with the new compensation agreements for defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard and offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph, the eight assistants on the staff in 2017 will see a combined increase of $1,106,866 for the ’18 season.

That is an average boost of $138,358.25 per assistant.

Leonhard’s annual compensation package for ’18 is $966,666, an increase of $366,666.

Rudolph’s annual compensation package for ’18 is $775,000, an increase of $120,200.

Outside linebackers coach Bobby April III and quarterbacks coach Jon Budmayr are in their first seasons on the staff. 

April III is to be paid $300,000; Budmayr is to be paid $150,000.

April III replaced Tim Tibesar, who was paid $350,000 last season.

Budmayr was promoted after the NCAA approved a 10th full-time assistant. 

UW, in Paul Chryst's third season as head coach, finished the '17 regular season with a 12-0 record but suffered a 27-21 loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. 

That loss dropped UW out of the College Football Playoff but UW rebounded with a 34-24 victory over Miami to finish 13-1 and become the first team in program history to win 13 games in a season.

According to UW athletic director Barry Alvarez, the pay raises for the assistants were a reward for their performances last season. 

"And you still have to be competitive with our league," Alvarez added. 

Chryst, whose record at UW is 34-7, has always lobbied for more money for his staff.

Earlier this year, he received a new annual compensation package of $3.75 million for 2018 and '19. His annual compensation package for 2017 was $3.2 million, the No. 9 mark in the Big Ten. 

Despite the increase of $550,000, Chryst likely will rank no better than seventh among Big Ten coaches in annual compensation in 2018.

The pay increases for UW's assistants increase that pool for the 2018 season to $3,966,666. 

USA Today obtained 2017 salary information for football assistants at all Big Ten schools except for Penn State and Northwestern, which do not have to make public disclosures.

UW's assistant pool last season was no better than seventh in the Big Ten.

Based on 2017 figures, UW's new assistant pool could be as high as No. 3 in the Big Ten, behind Michigan ($5,645,000) and Ohio State ($4,485,000).

However, Penn State's likely is higher and Nebraska's pool, $3,725,375 in 2017, likely increased with the hiring of head coach Scott Frost. 

"What I normally like to do is give Paul a pool," Alvarez said of the assistants' pay, "and allow him to manage it how he chooses."