So the staff salaries have been released

[Clockwork Orange]

And the following is a comparison between their pay and their predecessors': http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/550550-a-salary-comparison-of-butch-jones-staff-and.html (although something seems wrong here, as I recall reading numerous times that Sunseri was paid $800k . . . also the positions for the defensive coaches are wrong per the UTsports site.).

So what this boils down to is this:

* Both coordinators are paid less.
* All position coaches except TE/ST are paid more.
* Strength/conditioning coach is paid less.
* Jay Graham got a nice raise but remains the second-lowest paid position coach.

All in all I like this pay structure better since neither coordinator is a superstar/hot commodity. The coordinators make about 50% more than the average position coach on the team . . . last year our coordinators made more than double the average position coach, and one of them had never even been a coordinator before. I don't think you pay one coach double the rest-- even as a coordinator-- unless he's good enough that there is serious risk of losing him to head coaching gigs or he is a hall of fame type assistant.

Any thoughts?

[VinnieVOL]

Looks good to me.

[Clockwork Orange]

I'll add a few more comments on the coaches themselves as compared to Dooley's staff. I guess it's just a result of what we saw on the field, but I lean toward the O-staff being a downgrade and the D-staff being an upgrade. It's hard to tell at this point but with a very good O and a very bad D it seems there is only one direction each can move.

Jancek (DC/LB), replacing Sunseri: As a DC it's hard to see this as anything but an upgrade over Sunseri for less money. As a LB coach, who knows . . . but Sunseri's UT LBs were constantly out of position so I'm not inclined to call it a downgrade there despite the Bammer LBs Sunseri coached. Upgrade at a substantial discount.

Stripling (DL/AHC), replacing Palermo: I'm not sure we had enough time to tell on Palermo (and DL was not the weakness that the back seven group was in 2012), but Stripling is 2-0 in bowl games as an interim head coach so he knows a thing or two about coaching. He has no SEC experience but was a position coach in the Big Ten for 22 years, so he's not a stranger to football above the MAC/Big East level. I don't know that anyone was disappointed that Jones didn't keep Palermo. Stripling is paid more than $100k above what Palermo was but he is serving as assistant head coach and seems a very logical fit in that capacity. Palermo also has a record as a head coach . . . 0-11 in one season at Austin Peay. Indeterminate, but I lean toward upgrade.

Thigpen (CB), replacing Ansley: As with Sunseri, it's hard to imagine this being a downgrade because the play was so incredibly poor. Thigpen has SEC experience at Auburn for four years. He also coached under Urban Meyer at BGSU. He was a top 25 recruiter by Rivals three times, with two different schools (AU and UNC). Upgrade.

Martinez (S), replacing Conklin: See first line for Jancek and Thigpen. Safeties were horrible in 2012 under Conklin. Conklin didn't even had D-IA experience when he was hired, and I don't really know what his reputation as a recruiter was but never heard him talked up. Martinez coached at UGA for nine seasons, AU for one, and Oklahoma in between those for two years. He's a good recruiter that has coached top level NCAA football. Upgrade.

Bajakian (OC/QB), replacing Chaney: I know some people got irritated with Chaney's play calling but we had an explosive offense . . . one you could win titles with. I know Jones is very high on Bajakian but his offenses at Cincy at CMU did not have to face the kind of defenses he will see in the SEC. I don't think either of them are known as great recruiters. Downgrade, but at a substantial discount.

Don Mahoney (OL), replacing Pittman: Most people I talked to wished we had kept Pittman. Not only didn't we, but we hired Mahoney for a 25% premium and his track record isn't nearly as good IMO. He has no BCS-level experience. I'll call recruiting a push since I don't know much about either from that standpoint. Pittman was quickly snatched up by Bielema at Arkansas for the same pay he made at UT. Downgrade.

Azzanni (WR/RC), replacing Hinshaw: Hinshaw was apparently one of Dooley's better recruiters, but Urban Meyer referred to Azzanni's recruiting work as "relentless" and he works the South Florida area. He has some BCS level experience with Meyer at UF for a year and Bilema at Wisconsin for a year. Hinshaw was another coach that some UT fans wanted to be retained, but Azzanni has much more experience coaching the position. Indeterminate.

Elder (TE/ST), replacing Coiner: Dooley didn't think enough of Coiner to give him a multi-year contract like he did with the other assistants, and our kicking game was pretty abysmal. Coiner had some pretty good experience coaching TEs though, and Rivera had a nice season (though not unexpectedly). Elder has gone back and forth between offense and defense so I'm not sure you could say TE is really a specialty, but special teams seem to be. Indeterminate.

Graham (RB) is retained. A good thing.

Lawson (S/C), replacing McKeefery: I will miss Ron McKeefery. He seemed like a stand-up guy and had a great career leading up to his time at UT, but then again UT had a serious habit of fading late in games. It's not like he was working with the best roster or staff in the world though. I do love this about Lawson though: he is a "certified speed and explosion specialist by the National Association of Speed and Explosion." I didn't know that existed, but my world is better now knowing that it does. I like what I have read about Lawson and the videos have been impressiev, but he hasn't worked with SEC talent. Indeterminate, leaning toward downgrade (but with a discount).

[VoLynteer]

My only thought is: Earn your @#!$ money.

[Creek Walker]

I don't really care, quite honestly. I wouldn't recognize a single coach on this staff, other than Butch or Graham, if I saw them in a public setting. I was initially intrigued by Butch's talk that he was going to assemble the best coaching staff in America, but when I saw the mass exodus that was about take place from Cincinnati to Knoxville, I adopted a military similar to the one a lot of UT fans developed in regards to Dooley with last year's staff turnover: they'll either win or they won't win. Either way, it's on Butch. I don't have a problem with him hiring folks who he's comfortable with, though I think it's kinda silly to make the "best coaching staff in football" comment when you're bringing over the equivalent of a CUSA staff. And don't misunderstand me, I love what I've seen and heard from Butch, for the most part. I've just decided that Butch has worked with a lot of these guys for years, and it's his job on the line. If he wins, I'm gonna support him regardless of who his coaches are or what they're paid. If he doesn't, I'm not.

[PirateVOL]

I'll add a few more comments on the coaches themselves as compared to Dooley's staff. I guess it's just a result of what we saw on the field, but I lean toward the O-staff being a downgrade and the D-staff being an upgrade. It's hard to tell at this point but with a very good O and a very bad D it seems there is only one direction each can move.

Jancek (DC/LB), replacing Sunseri: As a DC it's hard to see this as anything but an upgrade over Sunseri for less money. As a LB coach, who knows . . . but Sunseri's UT LBs were constantly out of position so I'm not inclined to call it a downgrade there despite the Bammer LBs Sunseri coached. Upgrade at a substantial discount.
Upgrade IMO.  I think he is a good coach but he needs to prove it at the "next" level, i.e. the SEC

Stripling (DL/AHC), replacing Palermo: I'm not sure we had enough time to tell on Palermo (and DL was not the weakness that the back seven group was in 2012), but Stripling is 2-0 in bowl games as an interim head coach so he knows a thing or two about coaching. He has no SEC experience but was a position coach in the Big Ten for 22 years, so he's not a stranger to football above the MAC/Big East level. I don't know that anyone was disappointed that Jones didn't keep Palermo. Stripling is paid more than $100k above what Palermo was but he is serving as assistant head coach and seems a very logical fit in that capacity. Palermo also has a record as a head coach . . . 0-11 in one season at Austin Peay. Indeterminate, but I lean toward upgrade.
Definite upgrade IMO.  Difficult to tell how good Palermo was/could have been as screwed up as the defensive scheme was last year (3-4 in name only) but I like Stripling's track record

Thigpen (CB), replacing Ansley: As with Sunseri, it's hard to imagine this being a downgrade because the play was so incredibly poor. Thigpen has SEC experience at Auburn for four years. He also coached under Urban Meyer at BGSU. He was a top 25 recruiter by Rivals three times, with two different schools (AU and UNC). Upgrade.

Martinez (S), replacing Conklin: See first line for Jancek and Thigpen. Safeties were horrible in 2012 under Conklin. Conklin didn't even had D-IA experience when he was hired, and I don't really know what his reputation as a recruiter was but never heard him talked up. Martinez coached at UGA for nine seasons, AU for one, and Oklahoma in between those for two years. He's a good recruiter that has coached top level NCAA football. Upgrade.

Bajakian (OC/QB), replacing Chaney: I know some people got irritated with Chaney's play calling but we had an explosive offense . . . one you could win titles with. I know Jones is very high on Bajakian but his offenses at Cincy at CMU did not have to face the kind of defenses he will see in the SEC. I don't think either of them are known as great recruiters. Downgrade, but at a substantial discount.
I'm one of those who thinks we will miss Chaney, lot.  No discount here, a downgrade IMO


Don Mahoney (OL), replacing Pittman: Most people I talked to wished we had kept Pittman. Not only didn't we, but we hired Mahoney for a 25% premium and his track record isn't nearly as good IMO. He has no BCS-level experience. I'll call recruiting a push since I don't know much about either from that standpoint. Pittman was quickly snatched up by Bielema at Arkansas for the same pay he made at UT. Downgrade.
Agree

Azzanni (WR/RC), replacing Hinshaw: Hinshaw was apparently one of Dooley's better recruiters, but Urban Meyer referred to Azzanni's recruiting work as "relentless" and he works the South Florida area. He has some BCS level experience with Meyer at UF for a year and Bilema at Wisconsin for a year. Hinshaw was another coach that some UT fans wanted to be retained, but Azzanni has much more experience coaching the position. Indeterminate.
I think an upgrade.  I consider recruiting a wash but I think a for sure upgrade as a WR coach as Hinshaw's receivers didn't impress me with their slill improvement

Elder (TE/ST), replacing Coiner: Dooley didn't think enough of Coiner to give him a multi-year contract like he did with the other assistants, and our kicking game was pretty abysmal. Coiner had some pretty good experience coaching TEs though, and Rivera had a nice season (though not unexpectedly). Elder has gone back and forth between offense and defense so I'm not sure you could say TE is really a specialty, but special teams seem to be. Indeterminate.

Graham (RB) is retained. A good thing.

Lawson (S/C), replacing McKeefery: I will miss Ron McKeefery. He seemed like a stand-up guy and had a great career leading up to his time at UT, but then again UT had a serious habit of fading late in games. It's not like he was working with the best roster or staff in the world though. I do love this about Lawson though: he is a "certified speed and explosion specialist by the National Association of Speed and Explosion." I didn't know that existed, but my world is better now knowing that it does. I like what I have read about Lawson and the videos have been impressiev, but he hasn't worked with SEC talent. Indeterminate, leaning toward downgrade (but with a discount).
I think a wash. till we see the results.  Like you I like his videos and the talk but can he develop the speed and xplosion at the next level?  In the end we have been going through S&C coaches like popcorn.

[BanditVol]

I agree with most of them. I will say this about Hinshaw...he was the featured assistant during the one Dooley show I watched this year, early in the season.  Hunter had struggled that game and Hinshaw defended him.  That did not impress me.  WRs were great, but did we get all out of Hunter and CP that we could have?  At the end of the day, they were the bright spot of the team and I won't complain, but I think indeterminate is the right call.

[PirateVOL]

I agree with most of them. I will say this about Hinshaw...he was the featured assistant during the one Dooley show I watched this year, early in the season.  Hunter had struggled that game and Hinshaw defended him.  That did not impress me.  WRs were great, but did we get all out of Hunter and CP that we could have?  At the end of the day, they were the bright spot of the team and I won't complain, but I think indeterminate is the right call.

The young recveivers, especially CP never really seemed to improve their rotes.  CP directly led to at least two picks this year due to his poor routes.  The exception is that Pig Howard did improve from his real inital PT at UGA.  Of course he seemed to run with no apparent patter in that game but he was hustling.

[Jedi Master]

Ya'll need to give Jancek and Martinez a chance to perform before you deem them to be "upgrades."  IMO.

[Clockwork Orange]

Ya'll need to give Jancek and Martinez a chance to perform before you deem them to be "upgrades."  IMO.

You must not have seen our defense this year. It was the worst SEC defense of my lifetime.

[VinnieVOL]

Ya'll need to give Jancek and Martinez a chance to perform before you deem them to be "upgrades."  IMO.
[/quote

You must not have watched our defense AT ALL.