Pelini’s salary could be near bottom of Sun Belt
By Marcus Nelson
Two days after new FAU coach Carl Pelini agreed to his first contract to be the Owls’ coach, he may want to re-negotiate.
When Pelini’s contract was approved way back on Monday, his total compensation (not including bonuses) of $450,000 would have been the fourth-highest in the nine-team Sun Belt Conference using 2011 figures obtained by USA Today.
Fast forward 48 hours and Pelini is slipping fast.
On Tuesday ULL Athletic Director Scott Farmer told veteran Sun Belt Conference journalist Dan McDonald that Ragin’ Cajuns coach Mark Hudspeth will get a new contract making him the highest paid coach in the conference, exceeding Middle Tennessee’s Rick Stockstill’s salary of $589,405.
And on Wednesday, Western Kentucky announced Willie Taggart will be see his salary bumped up from $225,000 to $475,000,
Re-adjusting, here is what the new list may look like, with Arkansas State starting the process of replacing Hugh Freeze.
- Mark Hudspeth, Louisiana-Lafayette: $361,000* (ULL says Hudspeth will get new contract making him highest paid coach in the Sun Belt)
- Rick Stockstill, Middle Tennessee State: $589,405
- Dan McCarney, North Texas: $545,000
- Mario Cristobal, Florida International: $497,183
- Willie Taggart, WKU: $475,000
- Carl Pelini, Florida Atlantic: $450,000
- Larry Blakeney, Troy: $381,000
- Todd Berry, Louisiana-Monroe: $225,000
- Hugh Freeze, Arkansas State: $202,160
So in two days, Pelini has gone from the top half to almost the bottom third. Ouch, the only thing dropping that fast, well, is the entire U.S. economy.
The bad part is if Pelini wants a new deal, he’ll have to get in line. And as Owls basketball coach Mike Jarvis can tell you, don’t expect any resolution soon.
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