Mel Tucker’s new contract brought about a windfall for the rest of his Michigan State football staff.
All of Tucker’s returning assistant coaches received pay raises for this year, according to updated contracts provided by the university. That included boosts that put both offensive coordinator Jay Johnson and defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton above $1 million per year, as well as offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic.
Tucker received $1.5 million more for his coaching salary pool — now at $7.5 million per year —as part of the new 10-year, $95-million contract he signed in November.
From left, Michigan State’s defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton, head coach Mel Tucker and tight ends coach Ted Gilmore look on during the Meet the Spartans open practice on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.
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Johnson’s and Hazelton’s original three-year contracts previously were set to expire in 2023 and now run through March 31, 2025. Johnson received a $350,000 bump to $1.35 million, while Hazelton’s salary increased $150,000 to $1.1 million. Both took pandemic reductions between Sept. 1, 2020 and Aug. 31, 2021 — Johnson to $906,750 and Hazelton to $883,500.
According to a USA Today database of college football assistant coaches’ salaries in 2020, both Johnson and Hazelton’s new deals would put them among the top 25 highest-paid assistants in the nation.
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The two-year contracts for most of Tucker’s remaining assistants from the staff he assembled in 2020 were set to expire March 31. Their new deals are extended two years through March…
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