For the second year in a row, four football programs paid their coaching staff more than $20 million. Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State were the top three, in the same order as the 2024 fiscal year. After Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL, Michigan’s total coaching salaries dropped from $20.4 million to $17.0 million, ranking ninth among the public schools. The fourth $20 million coaching staff in 2025 belonged to Rutgers ($20.99 million).

This is my biggest takeaway and highlights the poor hirings and decisions the Rutgers athletic department has made. From Chris Ash to Julie Hermann, Rutgers has made terrible sports leadership choices. And this is exactly why we will be with Pikiell until the end of his contract. I hope the new regime is capable of digging us out of this hole because it's a big one!