Steve Spurrier to make $4 million
— -- South Carolina's Steve Spurrier will be among the nation's 10 highest-paid coaches after university trustees approved a pay raise to $4 million per year Thursday.
In addition, the contract for the 68-year-old Spurrier was extended by one year through the 2018 season.
"We appreciate the attitude of the board of trustees in keeping our salaries competitive with the rest of the SEC," Spurrier said in a statement. "We all hope to coach here many more years, and we still have some goals that have not been accomplished yet."
The agreement also calls for Spurrier, after he quits coaching, to serve as a special assistant to the university's president and athletic director.
Spurrier made $3.3 million in 2013 as he led the Gamecocks to an 11-2 record, a victory in the Capital One Bowl and a No. 4 ranking in the final poll -- the highest in school history. He is the winningest coach in the program's history with a 77-39 record.
Spurrier's nine assistant coaches also received raises that put their combined compensation at $3.3 million, up from the $2.7 the group earned this past season.
All assistants were given new two-year contract agreements except for defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward, who received a three-year deal. Also earning a raise was quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus, whose salary was frozen for a year after his arrest for urinating in public. Mangus' salary increased $100,000 to $275,000.
Ward will be the highest-paid assistant at $750,000, a $100,000 raise. The biggest boost came for offensive line coach Shawn Elliott, who saw his compensation rise from $305,000 to $430,000 next fall.
"With three straight top-10 finishes, South Carolina is as good as any program in the country," athletic director Ray Tanner said in the release. "The contract raises and extensions for Coach Spurrier and his staff are a reflection of that success and are well-deserved."
Spurrier, who will start his 22nd season as a head coach in the SEC in 2014, will remain the conference's fifth-highest-paid coach, behind Alabama's Nick Saban ($5.4 million), Arkansas' Bret Bielema ($5.16 million), Tennessee's Butch Jones ($4.86 million) and LSU's Les Miles ($4.3 million).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related Stories
ABC News Live