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BOCA RATON – Charlie Weis Jr. parlayed one season as an Atlanta Falcons’ offensive analyst into a $130,000 salary increase compared to what he was making at FAU prior to the jump.
The youngest offensive coordinator at the FBS level, Weis, 24, will make $180,000 per year during his three year FAU contract, obtained via a public records request. He is also entitled to a $2,500 bonus if FAU wins Conference USA’s East Division and $5,000 if the the Owls win the C-USA title. FAU accomplished both last year en route to an 11-3 season that culminated with a 50-3 blowout of Akron in the Boca Raton Bowl.
Shortly after the Owls hired Lane Kiffin to be their head coach in December of 2015, Kiffin tabbed Weis to be his tight ends coach. Prior to the hiring, Kiffin had been Alabama’s offensive coordinator, with Weis serving as a Crimson Tide offensive analyst. Weis served as the Owls tight ends coach for about one month before departing to Atlanta.
Under his 2017 contract, Weis would have made $50,000 per year as the Owls’ tight ends coach.
While Weis more than tripled his FAU salary from his prior stint as an Owl, he’s still a relative bargain. Kendal Briles, the coordinator Weis succeeds, earned $350,000 last season in his only year as an Owls coach. According to USA Today’s annual survey of coaches’ salaries, Briles was the highest paid assistant in C-USA last season. Briles left FAU for Houston following the season.
The same survey showed that 23 C-USA coaches earned more than $180,000 in base salary during 2017, including FAU defensive coordinator Chris Kiffin, who made $300,000.
Second-year FAU defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Eric Mathies’ contract calls for him to earn a base of $210,000 in 2018.
Weis will also coach FAU’s quarterbacks. This is his first on-field coaching position.
OwlAccess.com also learned through a separate public records request that new FAU defensive backs coach Wes Neighbors agreed to a two year contract that will pay him $110,000 in 2018 and $125.000 the following year.
Neighbors’ contract also a offers a bit of a savings over that of his predecessor. Corey Batoon’s contract called for him to make $120,000 per year. Batoon also served as the Owls’ special teams coordinator in 2017. He left FAU following the season to become Hawaii’s defensive coordinator.
A new NCAA regulation that took effect in January allows schools to have 10 on-field assistant coaches – one more than in previous seasons. FAU used that additional coaching spot to hire Jaron Fairman as special teams coordinator.
FAU formally announced on Monday that the Owls will begin spring practice on March 20.
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