Once it became inevitable that Scott Frost was going to become Nebraska football coach, the intrigue started to shift toward how much money NU was going to pony up.
Nebraska administrators hinted that the school would pay a big price to land a big name, and the Huskers did just that. Frost will make $35 million over seven years, according to NU.
It's the longest deal, in terms of years, handed out by NU for a football coach. Nebraska men's basketball coach Tim Miles started on a seven-year deal.
In the Big Ten, only Ohio State's Urban Meyer and Michigan's Jim Harbaugh have higher base salaries than Frost. Harbaugh will make more than $7 million this season, off of a base salary of $5 million, according to USA Today. Meyer will bring home nearly $6.5 million this season after bonuses applied to his $5.7 million base salary.
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Follow the money: Ranking Big Ten football coaches' salaries
Whether it was a reflection of market forces or simple leverage, Nebraska pushed a lot of chips into the middle of the table with the hiring of Scott Frost as head coach on a 7-year, $35-million deal. Where does Frost's deal rank compared to his conference contemporaries?
- Staff and wire reports ( and contributed to this report).
Penn State's James Franklin had the Big Ten's third-highest salary at $4.6 million a year.
Frost's annual salary of $5 million would place him 10th nationally, according to the USA Today database.
When then-AD Shawn Eichorst hired Mike Riley, the former Oregon State coach started at $2.7 million per year. Bo Pelini made more than $3 million during his final season in Lincoln.
Recent activity on the national map indicated Nebraska was going to have to open up the checkbook in order to land its guy. UCLA lured Chip Kelly with a four-year, $24 million contract.
Florida hired Dan Mullen last week and he's about to make $6 million per year over six years.
Jimbo Fischer left Florida State for Texas A&M and here's a key reason: $75 million over 10 years.
Frost's buyout with UCF is $3 million.
Reach the writer at 402-473-2639 or cgrell@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSSportsGrell.
Big Ten coaching pay
Annual salaries
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan;$7,004,000
Urban Meyer, Ohio State;$6,431,240
Scott Frost, Nebraska;$5,000,000
James Franklin, Penn State;$4,600,000
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa;$4,550,000
Mark Dantonio, Michigan State;$4,380,492
P.J. Fleck, Minnesota;$3,500,000
Jeff Brohm, Purdue;$3,333,333
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern;$3,305,818
Paul Chryst, Wisconsin;$3,200,000
Lovie Smith, Illinois;$3,000,000
DJ Durkin, Maryland;$2,462,000
Chris Ash, Rutgers;$2,100,000
Tom Allen, Indiana;$1,830,000
Source: USA Today
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From Orlando to Lincoln in 48 hours: Charting Scott Frost's Husker homecoming
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