Auburn football assistant coach contracts: Eric Kiesau, Jeff Schmedding salaries
New Auburn football coordinators Eric Kiesau and Jeff Schmedding both began two-year contract deals in February that expire Jan. 31, 2024, according to documents obtained by the USA TODAY Network through an open records law request.
Defensive coordinator Schmedding became the highest-paid assistant coach on Bryan Harsin's staff. He will make $1 million annually, doubling his salary from last year when he was Auburn's inside linebackers coach.
Schmedding and Kiesau were both internal promotions, and both followed Harsin from Boise State to Auburn when Harsin took the head coaching job in December 2020. Kiesau started as an analyst, was promoted to receivers coach four games into the 2021 season and was announced as new offensive coordinator Feb. 18. In his two-year deal, Kiesau will make $800,000 annually.
Both contracts operate on a $250,000 base salary, with endorsement rights and personal appearance payments accounting for the rest.
All but one of Auburn's returning on-field assistant coaches also received raises.
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Secondary coach Zac Etheridge received the largest pay increase as part of his recent promotion to associate head coach. Etheridge, who stayed at Auburn after being pursued by Georgia in February, will make $600,000 this year and $650,000 in the second year of his deal. He was previously making $315,000. Etheridge will coordinate Auburn's recruiting efforts.
Roc Bellantoni, who was promoted from defensive analyst to edge coach and special teams coordinator, will make $450,000 in his new two-year deal.
Among the three brand-new assistants on Harsin's staff, defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh will be the highest-paid in 2022 ($625,000), but receivers coach Ike Hilliard will eclipse that next year with a $50,000 raise. He starts at $600,000 this year in the same format as Etheridge's contract. (Their deals are worth the same as Brumbaugh's in total.)
Offensive line coach Will Friend remains the highest-paid non-coordinator on the staff, but he's also the only returning assistant coach who did not receiver a raise and extension. He has one year remaining on his $700,000 annual deal, which expires Jan. 31, 2023.
Tight ends coach Brad Bedell and running backs coach Carnell "Cadillac" Williams each earned $50,000 annual pay increases in their two-year deals. Both will make $400,000 salaries.
Linebackers coach Christian Robinson and strength and conditioning coach Jeff Pitman will receive $25,000 bumps in their second years; Robinson starts at $525,000; Pittman remains at $400,000 with a one-year extension. Robinson made $301,500 last year at Florida.
All of the contracts obtained by USA TODAY Network except Friend's run through Jan. 31, 2024. The assistant coach 2022 salary pool, including Pitman, is $6.5 million, up from last year's $6.44 million.
There were no changes to Harsin's six-year deal, in which he will make $5.1 million this year.
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2022 Auburn football coach salaries
Bryan Harsin, head coach: $5.1 million
Jeff Schmedding, defensive coordinator : $1 million
Eric Kiesau, offensive coordinator : $800,000
Will Friend, offensive line: $700,000
Jimmy Brumbaugh, defensive line: $625,000
Zac Etheridge, associate head coach/secondary : $600,000
Ike Hilliard, wide receivers: $600,000
Christian Robinson, running backs: $525,000
Roc Bellantoni, special teams coordinator/outside linebackers: $450,000
Carnell Williams, running backs: $400,000
Brad Bedell, tight ends: $400,000
Jeff Pitman, strength and conditioning: $400,000
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football assistant coach salaries: Eric Kiesau, Jeff Schmedding
