Pete Golding's new deal with Ole Miss football will pay him more than $2 million in 2024

OXFORD ― All seven of Ole Miss football's returning assistant coaches, including coordinators Pete Golding and Charlie Weis Jr., have signed new contracts, according to documents obtained by the Clarion Ledger.

The Rebels made Golding the fifth-highest-paid assistant coach in college football when they brought him over from Alabama and paid him $1.9 million in base salary during the 2023 campaign. Under the terms of a new three-year deal, the defensive coordinator will earn $2.15 million in 2024. That will scale to $2.25 million in 2025 and $2.35 million in 2026. Golding's original contract would have paid him $2 million in 2024.

Golding's 2024 salary would have been the country's most lucrative for an assistant in the 2023 season. Michigan's reported choice to dish out $2.3 million to defensive coordinator Wink Martindale will keep Golding out of the top spot of that leaderboard for 2024, but he'll surely rank among the frontrunners.

Weis also received an offseason raise, inking a new three-year deal that will pay him $1.65 million in 2024, $1.75 million in 2025 and $1.85 million in 2026. Weis was set to make $1.5 million in 2024 under the terms of his previous contract.

Both Golding and Weis have clauses in their contracts stipulating that no buyout will be owed should they leave to be a Division I head coach or move on to coach in the NFL.

Among the other five returning assistants, the largest raise belonged to special teams coordinator Jake Schoonover. Back for a second season, Schoonover's previous contract would have paid him $300,000 in 2024. Instead, his new two-year deal entitles him to $375,000.

Defensive line coach Randall Joyner also received a bump. Instead of making $675,000 in 2024, he'll earn $725,000 thanks to a new two-year contract.

Two assistants signed new two-year contracts but did not have their salaries adjusted, with the new deals effectively serving as flat, one-year extensions. Running backs coach Kevin Smith will earn $600,000 and offensive line coach John Garrison will bring in $650,000 – both in line with what they would have earned under contracts they signed in 2023. Safeties coach Wes Neighbors III signed a new one-year deal that didn't adjust his contract length or his salary of $375,000, but did alter his bonus structure to reflect college football's new postseason format. Each of the other returning assistants received the same alteration.

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The Rebels have brought in three new assistants, too. Bryan Brown, who arrived from Cincinnati to coach the secondary, will earn $750,000 in his first year. New receivers coach George McDonald is due $625,000, and new tight ends coach Joe Cox will earn $325,000.

When Ole Miss agreed a new contract with coach Lane Kiffin after the 2022 season following a lengthy pursuit by Auburn, Athletic Director Keith Carter said he would "greatly" increase Kiffin's salary pool for assistant coaches. In 2023, Kiffin's 10 assistants made $7.21 million – up 33% from 2022.

In 2024, Ole Miss' assistants are owed $8.225 million, marking an increase of roughly 14%.

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Pete Golding's new deal with Ole Miss football will pay him more than $2M