Average college football assistant coach makes $200,000, according to survey

USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is the nation's highest-paid assistant football coach at an estimated $1.5 million. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

NCAA football Bowl Subdivision coaches will earn about $200,000 on average in 2012, according to a USA Today Sports analysis released on Tuesday. That represents a 10-percent increase over last season and a 29-percent increase since the newspaper began its survey in 2009.

USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is the nation's highest-paid assistant coach at more than $1.5 million, while Clemson employs the highest-paid assistant coaching staff in the survey's 102-school sample at $4.2 million (there are 124 total FBS schools).

If Kiffin leaves USC as expected, Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris would likely become the nation's highest-paid assistant at $1.3 million. "Morris is making more than half of the FBS head coaches this season. He also is making more than 41 entire assistant-coaching staffs," the report states.

Other findings of the analysis include:

• After Kiffin and Morris, the next four highest-paid coaches are all from the SEC: Alabama's Kirby Smart ($950,000), LSU's John Chavis ($911,250), Auburn's Brian VanGorder ($875,000) and Georgia's Todd Grantham ($825,000).
• Seven schools have assistants totaling more than $3 million in compensation: Texas, Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, Oregon, Florida State and Oklahoma State.
• Eighteen assistants will make at least $600,000 this season, almost quadruple the total in 2009.
• SEC assistants average the highest 2012 salary at $315,000, followed by the Big 12 at about $290,000.