[Hank 91]

I don't think it's crazy at all that the highest-paid coach is in college, not the NFL. In effect, a college coach is the GM as well as the coach. He has near-total authority over personnel: backroom staff, players and coaches. Add to that the marketing tasks a college coach is involved with (booster lunches, etc.), and the higher pay of college coaches makes perfect sense to me.

I agree. If you're coaching in the NFL, that's kind of all you're doing -- coaching. Here's what David Shaw has to do (I'd imagine people like Nick Saban and Les Miles have to do a lot more.)

Recruit, hire coaches, coordinate recruiting, deal with admissions office, monitor academics of current players, prepare younger players to replace the 6-10 starters that leave every season, attend three separate media days, speak at close to a dozen alumni functions, interface with athletic director for scheduling issues, and -- I'm guessing -- sign off on any number of minor decisions that we don't even know about.

And then he has to coach the games.

[Hank 91]

I don't think it's crazy at all that the highest-paid coach is in college, not the NFL. In effect, a college coach is the GM as well as the coach. He has near-total authority over personnel: backroom staff, players and coaches. Add to that the marketing tasks a college coach is involved with (booster lunches, etc.), and the higher pay of college coaches makes perfect sense to me.

I agree. If you're coaching in the NFL, that's kind of all you're doing -- coaching. Here's what David Shaw has to do (I'd imagine people like Nick Saban and Les Miles have to do a lot more.)

Recruit, hire coaches, coordinate recruiting, deal with admissions office, monitor academics of current players, prepare younger players to replace the 6-10 starters that leave every season, attend three separate media days, speak at close to a dozen alumni functions, interface with athletic director for scheduling issues, and -- I'm guessing -- sign off on any number of minor decisions that we don't even know about.

And then he has to coach the games.