Oklahoma is poised to elevate Todd Bates to one of the highest-paid defensive line coaches in collegiate football.
The Sooners are in the process of finalizing a fresh contract for Bates, who supervises the defensive tackles at OU. This decision comes after Bates garnered interest from various coaching opportunities during the offseason, as reported by sources to 247Sports national reporter Matt Zenitz. According to these sources, Bates is on track to secure a three-year contract with an anticipated average yearly salary of $900,000.
This move to secure a new contract for Bates follows closely on the heels of the Oklahoma Board of Regents’ recent approval of new contracts and salary increases for Brent Venables’ team of assistants. Bates was among those who received an extension and a raise, with his contract now extended through Jan. 31, 2027, with an annual salary of $700,000.
Bates previously received a raise in January, which added an extra $35,000 to his annual earnings, bringing his total to $665,000 in 2023. Under the terms of the new contract, Bates is anticipated to earn $235,000 more than last season, as per Zenitz.
All coaching contracts must undergo approval by Oklahoma’s Board of Regents, with the next meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 12.
With this new three-year contract, Bates is expected to climb the ranks of the highest-paid position coaches in college football. In the previous season, he ranked as the 159th-highest paid assistant coach in the country according to the USA Today football coach salaries database. His projected salary of $900,000 would likely place him among the top 75, including coordinators.
Bates is anticipated to join the ranks of the highest-paid defensive line coaches nationwide under this new agreement. Bo Davis, the new LSU defensive line coach, set a precedent for the position with his recent four-year deal worth an average salary of $1.35 million. Davis previously earned $1 million at Texas.
Other notable high earners in the field of non-coordinator defensive line coaches last season include Tennessee’s Rodney Garner ($935,000), Florida’s Sean Spencer ($1 million), and Georgia’s Tray Scott ($1,000,200).
