Rutgers athletic department shake-up comes with a hefty price tag

Rutgers' dismissal of Head Football Coach Kyle Flood and Athletic Director Julie Hermann Sunday marked the beginning of changes within the university's Department of Athletics, according to university president Robert Barchi, but those changes could also come with a pretty hefty price tag.

Although Flood - with a salary of $1,043,992 - was one of the highest-paid employees at the university, his salary ranked low among other NCAA coaches in the Big Ten. In 2015, the average salary for the 13 head coaches in the Big Ten stands at $3.21 million, according to a USA TODAY database.

Flood, who assumed he'd be coaching the Rutgers team well into the future, is in the midst of building a new home on a lot in Middlesex that he and his wife purchased in 2014 for $200,000.

Members of the Rutgers media relations department did not respond to inquiries Monday regarding comment on what type of salary the university would be willing to pay Flood's replacement, but it's likely that his successor will earn a larger paycheck.

In addition to whatever increase the university pays Flood's replacement, it will also be paying quite a bit more to Hermann's successor. Patrick Hobbs, who will take over for Hermann, has agreed to a five-year contract worth $560,000 per year, $110,000 more than his predecessor's base salary, according to NJ.com. The contract makes him one of the highest-paid employees at Rutgers. Hobbs will also be eligible for performance-based bonuses.

But the termination of Flood and Hermann doesn't mean the university is off the hook when it comes to writing checks to the two former athletic department employees. As part of a buyout that was negotiated with his last contract extension, Flood is owed $1.4 million. The two-year deal was signed in September 2014 to carry him through February 2019. It is primarily - but not fully - privately financed, Barchi told APP.com.

APP.com also reports that Rutgers has nine assistant coaches "who are owed $2.3 million on contracts through the 2016 season if they are not retained and do not find other jobs."

The search for Flood's replacement has already begun, according to the university president. Norries Wilson will serve as interim head coach. Wilson had previously stepped in as coach during Flood’s recent suspension.

Toniann Antonelli is the digital managing editor at NJ 101.5. Reach her at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.