The owner of Rutgers Football has recommended that the head coach salary this mouth will not be paid due to misunderstandings with two players.
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com’s Brian FonsecaPatrick Lanni | NJ Advance Media for NJ.comSteve Politi | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Rutgers is making substantial investments to try and enhance their offense, something it sorely needs.
A special meeting of the University’s Board of Governors on Saturday morning approved the three-year contract that the Scarlet Knights signed new offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca to, at $1.4 million per season.
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Making almost $400,000 more than his predecessor Sean Gleeson, who was the first assistant coach in any sport at Rutgers to receive a million-dollar contract, Ciarrocca, who was Minnesota’s offensive coordinator the previous season, becomes the highest-paid assistant coach in program history.
Rutgers will pay the two offensive coordinators $2.4 million in salaries for the 2023 season since it owes Gleeson the $1.05 million that remains in the last year of his previous deal.
According to the assistant coaching salary database maintained by USA Today, Ciarrocca’s pay would have been tied for 12th nationally among all assistant coaches, the fourth-highest among Big Ten assistant coaches, and the second-highest among Big Ten offensive coordinators last season. While Big Ten assistant coach salaries for the 2023 season are not yet available, Ciarrocca’s contract is thought to be above average and among the highest among offensive coordinators in the league.
The $275,000 buyout that Rutgers agreed to pay Minnesota was part of the contract extension Ciarrocca signed on December 8 in case he departed the Golden Gophers to take a position at “another Division I school in a role other than head coach.” With the new arrangement, he was expected to earn $900,000 in 2023, $950,000 in 2024, and $1 million in 2025—a big increase from his $625,000 in 2022, but nowhere near what he will make in his second term at Rutgers.
In 14 years, Rutgers will have its 13th offensive coordinator in Ciarrocca. Throughout that period, the only play-caller to remain for more than two seasons was his predecessor Gleeson, who served for two and a half seasons.
He returns to Rutgers, where he worked in the same capacity under head coach Greg Schiano in the 2009 and 2010 seasons, after serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Minnesota the previous season.
Fixing one of the worst offenses in college football and developing a quarterback with promise who struggled in his first season as a starter will be Ciarrocca’s double missions in Piscataway.
Based only on games involving two FBS teams, Rutgers ranked 128th in scoring (13 points per game), 130th in total offense (255 yards), 123rd in passing yards per game (144.5), 121st in interception rate (4.2% of passes thrown), -111th in rushing yards per game (110.5), 129th in third-down conversion rate (26%) and 106th in red zone scoring rate (77.3%) among 131 FBS teams, according to TeamRankings.
Former four-star and highest-ranked quarterback recruit in program history, redshirt freshman Gavin Wimsatt started his first six games of the season, including his first five Big Ten starts in the last five games. He battled valiantly, ending the season with the lowest completion rate (64-of-145) among FBS quarterbacks with at least 125 drop backs this season, according to ProFootballFocus.
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At 11.7 points per game during conference play, Rutgers ranked 13th in the Big Ten; Northwestern (11.6) was the only team to finish behind the Scarlet Knights. September will see the two sides square off in the season opener, Ciarrocca’s debut.
