UA salary pool falls in 2021 with addition of Loggains

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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ latest staff shuffling has shaved a little more off of the salary pool for its assistant coaches.

New tight ends coach Dowell Loggains has agreed to a two-year deal with the Razorbacks that will pay him an annual salary of $300,000 for his first season in Fayetteville, according to a copy of his employment agreement HawgBeat obtained via an open records request.

That will be bumped up to $400,000 for his second season at Arkansas, beginning Feb. 1, 2022. The agreement, which was finalized Friday, also includes the usual incentives for various levels of team postseason success.

He replaced former offensive line coach Brad Davis on Arkansas’ staff of 10 on-field assistants, as Cody Kennedy shifted from coaching tight ends to the offensive line to fill that role.

Davis, who took the same position at LSU earlier this month, was the Razorbacks’ highest-paid non-coordinator last season with an annual salary of $650,000.

HawgBeat did not receive updated contract details for Kennedy, who shifted duties. Assuming he will still make what he agreed to as tight ends coach, Arkansas is set to pay its assistant coaches $5.025 million in 2021.

That is a 3.8 percent decrease from the Razorbacks’ salary pool last year, which was set to be $5.225 million before pandemic-related pay reductions. It was believed to be the first time in school history that Arkansas’ salary pool topped $5 million.

The biggest chunk of that pool is going to Arkansas’ three coordinators.

Defensive coordinator Barry Odom received a significant raise after being pursued by multiple programs this offseason and will make a UA-record $1.75 million this season. Offensive coordinator Kendal Briles is also making seven-figures, at $1 million, while special teams coordinator Scott Fountain is making $450,000.

As seen in the chart below, the seven position coaches are each making $300,000 or less. Four of the Razorbacks’ five new assistants are making less than their predecessor, with the fifth - Loggains - making the same amount.

Those hires counteracted Odom’s raise and led to the overall salary pool decrease.