Can Fresno State match Pac-12 asst. coach pay to build future? Here are Bulldogs’ numbers

Fresno State defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto was approached by a Power Four conference program last winter, after a stellar first season with the Bulldogs.

He opted to stay in the Central San Joaquin Valley and received a pay raise, an additional year on a contract that now runs through the 2027 season, and a bump in available performance bonuses. Fresno State, which also gave pay raises to two additional assistant football coaches, still is well behind most of its soon-to-be rivals in a rebuilding Pac-12 when it comes to salaries, benefits and bonuses for its on-field and support staff.

That is an issue the program has been dealing with for years, and an area Fresno State must address as it joins the Pac-12 on July 1 and competes with bigger payrolls and overall athletics budgets. In the future, it could make it even more difficult to retain assistant coaches and coordinators.

Heading into the bigger league, Fresno State will trail some in the new Pac-12 by considerable margins.

Fresno State in 2025 paid 12.9 FTE (full-time equivalent) assistant football coach positions $3.3 million in salary, benefits and bonuses, according to the revenue and expense report it filed with the NCAA:

• Utah State reported $7 million in total compensation with 10 assistant coaches.
• San Diego State reported $4.3 million with 10 assistant coaches on staff.
• Boise State reported $4.1 million with 10 assistant coaches on staff.
• Washington State reported $4 million with 12 assistant coaches on staff.
• Colorado State reported $3.5 million with 10 assistant coaches on staff.
• The Bee has not yet obtained 2025 revenue and expense report from Oregon State, but in 2024 it paid 10 football assistants $5.5 million.

Fresno State, with its operating budget, could tuck into the upper middle of the Mountain West conference in the past, but this it’s moving into a league that doesn’t include Nevada, Wyoming, San Jose State or Hawaii, which have football budgets that have been less than the median in that conference.

“We’re growing, but we have to grow faster,” said coach Matt Entz, who in his first season led the Bulldogs to a 9-4 record and a victory in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl “It’s going to get harder and harder (to retain coaches). That’s what winning does.

“There are a number of things that we need to continue to address and work with our administration on. How can we continue to upgrade facilities? How can we continue to impact revenue sharing? And then, the operational dollars, including salaries and budget. How do we make that bucket bigger?”

Fresno State has lost coordinators to Power Four programs — Kalen DeBoer (Indiana), Ryan Grubb (Washington), Kirby Moore (Missouri). It has lost position coaches to Power Four jobs — Saga Tuitele (Arizona State), Zach Crabtree (Purdue).

But it also has lost position coaches to Group of Six conference schools offering larger paychecks — running backs coach James Montgomery left for Boise State in 2023 where he has been paid $195,000, $235,000 and $285,000 the past three seasons. He was paid $125,000 at Fresno State in 2022, when the Bulldogs won a Mountain West championship.

Near the bottom in new-Pac-12 salaries

When the Bulldogs get to the Pac-12, their salary pool for assistant coaches will rank closer to the bottom of the conference than it does to the top of the league.

Of the schools that will play Pac-12 football in the fall, Fresno State ranked ahead of only Texas State, which is making a much bigger jump coming from the Sun Belt Conference where median football operating budgets run about $9 million less than in the new Pac-12.

The Bobcats in 2025 reported $2.2 million in assistant’s salaries, benefits and bonuses.

One area the Bulldogs are investing — players. Fresno State in 2025 spent close to twice as much as Utah State and more than double Colorado State and Washington State on non-travel meals for their football programs.

Benedetto this season will be paid $475,000, a $50,000 raise, and $495,000 in 2027, according to his contract, which was obtained by The Bee through a public records request.

The Fresno State defensive coordinator also has performance bonuses tied to the Bulldogs’ success on the field and participation in bowl games, and the conference and national ranking of his defense in scoring defense, total defense and turnovers gained.

Fresno State last season ranked 10th in the nation in total defense (285.7 ypg) and was tied for seventh in turnovers gained (26).