Richt on the national salary scale

Mark Richt is the fourth-highest paid football coach in the SEC, and ninth in the country, according to USA Today’s annual compilation.

Richt’s annual compensation package is a little more than $2.937 million, behind only Alabama’s Nick Saban, Florida’s Urban Meyer and LSU’s Les Miles.

Nationally, the coaches that also receive more are Iowa’s Kirk Farentz, Ohio State’s Jim Tressel, Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, Texas’ Mack Brown and Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe.

A few thoughts:

- Jim Grobe? Really? I know in past years other schools have come after him, but wow.

- Coaches that seem way underpaid: Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer ($2.12 million), Arizona’s Mike Stoops ($1.385 million), Boise State’s Chris Peterson ($1.494 million), Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher ($1.804 million), Oregon’s Chip Kelly ($2.4 million), Temple’s Al Golden ($513,867), TCU’s Gary Patterson ($1.642 million) and Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema ($1.781 million.)

- Penn State’s Joe Paterno only makes $1.109 million. Age jokes aside, that’s surprising.

- Steve Spurrier could make more than $2.032 million, but for all his ego (and he has it), the one thing he never really throws his visor over is his own salary.

- Coaches that should thank their agents: Clemson’s Dabo Swinney ($1.768 million), Duke’s David Cutcliffe ($1.581 million), Illinois’ Ron Zook ($1.508 million), Kansas’ Turner Gill ($2.101 million), Michigan’s Rich Rodriguez ($2.525 million), Mississippi’s Houston Nutt ($2.55 million), Rutgers’ Greg Schiano ($2 million), SMU’s June Jones ($2.142 million).

- Lane Kiffin's salary at Southern California was not made public. Whatever it is, you could argue he should have been included in the previous paragraph.