Following a Rose Bowl win and a school-record 13 victories, Michigan State Univ. has amended the contracts of coach Mark Dantonio and his staff, "giving the head coach a substantial raise and making assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi the highest-paid assistant in the Big Ten," according to Matt Charboneau of the DETROIT NEWS. Dantonio’s new deal "adds a year to his current contract -- he’s now signed on for six years -- and raises his base salary" from $682,905 to $2M. He also saw his "supplemental income increased" to $1M from $869,000, and had $86,000 "added to his contingent annual base, up from $200,000." He also will "continue to receive $100,000 from his shoe/apparel agreement and $50,000 guaranteed performance incentives." A "nice new perk, Dantonio also will have access to a private plane for 25 hours for personal use." Altogether, Dantonio’s "total compensation package nearly doubles," to $3.64M from $1.99M, and makes him the "fifth-highest paid coach in the Big Ten." Meanwhile, $785,000 has been "approved to be distributed to Dantonio’s assistants, including a raise for Narduzzi that now pays him $904,583" (DETROIT NEWS, 2/26).
WE ARE SPARTA: In Michigan, Graham Couch writes these are "big-boy contracts for a program making its push to live in a new neighborhood." MSU's assistants are the "second-highest compensated group in the Big Ten, based on last year’s figures, behind only Ohio State." Couch: "This is a statement day. Rewarding statement results." MSU "had to do this," or "never again be taken seriously" (LANSING STATE JOURNAL, 2/26). In Detroit, Joe Rexrode writes MSU has "invested, and invested big, to sustain the football success it is enjoying right now." It "no longer has arguably the most underpaid head coach, relative to market value, in the game." MSU's assistant coaches were "undoubtedly the biggest bargain in college football" in '11 (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/26).
