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Football: Mark Hudspeth – “I am staying here” + Coaching Carousel & SBC Coaches Pay 12/6/11Football: Mark Hudspeth – "I am staying here" � Coaching Carousel & SBC Coaches Pay 12/6/11 Tim Buckley, Daily Advertiser, Dec. 6, 2011 On the same day Hugh Freeze officially left Arkansas State to coach Ole Miss and Tulane introduced New Orleans Saints wide receivers coach Curtis Johnson as its new coach, UL head coach Mark Hudspeth insisted he isn’t going anywhere any time soon — and Ragin’ Cajuns Athletic Director Scott Farmer said Hudspeth deserves a pay raise and a contract extension.
"We want to make Coach one of the top-paid coaches in our conference," said Farmer, whose Cajuns belong to the Sun Belt Conference. "So," he added, "it’s gonna entail a little bit more money, it’s gonna entail a little bit better bonus structure and it’s gonna entail another year. " Year, or years — one of the two." No agreement has been reached yet. But Hudspeth — rumored recently to have been a candidate for jobs elsewhere, including those at Ole Miss and Tulane — started a news conference Monday about UL’s Dec. 17 New Orleans Bowl game against San Diego State by addressing his own future. "What I wanted to try to do today is put an end to a lot of the speculation that’s been going on — the internet rumors and things we can control — and to let everybody know that, obviously, I am proud, and could not be prouder, to be the head football coach here for the University of Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns," said Hudspeth, who was hired by UL one year ago this month. "I just wanted to put all speculation aside," he added, "so we can be totally focused on heading down to New Orleans as a complete family and ready to win a bowl game." Nevertheless, some believe Hudspeth will be identified as a candidate should jobs open at either of two schools in his native Mississippi — Mississippi State, if Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen were to get the Penn State job for which he is rumored to be a candidate, and Southern Mississippi, whose current coach, Larry Fedora, reportedly is a candidate for multiple positions, including the current vacancy at Kansas. Hudspeth last month was widely reported to have interviewed for the Ole Miss job, something he has denied. It also was learned recently Hudspeth did speak with Tulane about its job — although he previously has denied talking with the Green Wave and all other programs. Rather than pursue other opportunities, though, Hudspeth said he plans to remain at UL. "I am a Ragin’ Cajun, so I am staying here," he said. When pressed, Hudspeth said that "definitely" means he will coach the Cajuns next year. "Very excited to be here, too," he said. Nothing has been finalized, however, regarding a rewritten contract for Hudspeth he and Farmer started to discuss last week — shortly after his name was bandied about in connection with the Ole Miss job. Hudspeth, though, did thank UL President Joseph Savoie on Monday "for really making a commitment to our program and for making me feel (welcome)." "I really, really feel like Dr. Savoie has made just a great show of support for the direction we feel like we have our program going," he said. "I know that our family really loves Lafayette. We love this university, we love the people here," added Hudspeth, whose resume includes stints as head coach at NCAA Division II North Alabama and passing game coordinator at Mississippi State. "Right now, this is where we want to be and this is where we want to call home. We’re awfully proud to say this is gonna be home." No details on Hudspeth’s still-being-negotiated contract revision were revealed Monday. "We’re still working on some of those fine details," Farmer said. "We’re working on that as we speak," Hudspeth added. "We’re in the process right now of putting some of that together." Farmer said the proposal is something UL brought to its coach — "because we’d like Coach Hudspeth to be with us for years to come." "It’s moving in the right direction," said Farmer, who added he wasn’t "nearly as concerned as y’all (media members) were" Hudspeth would leave UL after just one season. "I’m very pleased with the response that Coach has given us, the commitment he has given us," Farmer added, "and we want to put something together that will keep him here." Hudspeth has four years remaining on his current five-year deal, which has a base salary of $360,000 this season and up to $65,000 in potential bonuses — $20,000 worth of which already have been reached. Freeze, according to USA Today, made a Football Bowl Subdivision national-low $151,660 from Sun Belt-member Arkansas State and another $50,500 for a total of $202,160 this year. According to the Associated Press, Ole Miss gave him a four-year contract that pays a base salary of about $1.5 million per season with incentives that could raise that salary to as much as $2.5 million per year. Middle Tennessee’s Rick Stockstill makes the most in base salary among Sun Belt coaches at $588,780 this year, plus another $148,415 in potential bonuses. AP reported Monday that Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini, hired over the weekend to replace the retired Howard Schnellenberger at Sun Belt-member Florida Atlantic, agreed to a five-year deal with FAU that starts with a $450,000 base salary in his first season and, with annual raises, would be worth $2.49 million at its completion — plus bonuses, including at least another $100,000 in any season the Owls sell more than 12,000 season tickets. "It’s our goal to make (Hudspeth) the top paid," Farmer said. "But once you do that, you’ve got other people out there hiring new coaches — and I don’t know (for how much) they’re being hired. "So, as of right now, he’d be the top-paid coach in the league.’ UL vs. San Diego St.WHO: Cajuns (8-4) vs. Aztecs (8-4) Sun Belt Coaches PayA look at Sun Belt Conference football coaching base salaries, as recently compiled by USA Today and listed from lowest to highest: Coach CarouselWith UL’s Mark Hudspeth saying Monday he’ll "definitely" stay beyond this season to coach the Ragin’ Cajuns, a looking at this season’s college coaching carousel: SCHOOL OUT IN * Interim coach finished season for the program "Right now, this is where we want to be and this is where we want to call home. We’re awfully proud to say this is gonna be home."
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