Looking to build on success, Fresno State will continue to invest in football

Fresno State will continue to invest in a football program that rediscovered solid footing under first-year coach Jeff Tedford and is the backbone of an athletic department becoming more dependent on the team’s success.

Steve Robertello, interim athletic director, said Friday that the department would proceed with plans to add a 10th on-field assistant and has had discussions about bumping up the salary pool for coordinators and position coaches, which this season ranks fourth in the Mountain West Conference.

“We need football to be successful to help us drive all of our sports to have success,” Robertello said. “It helps from a budget standpoint, ticket sales … we need people in Bulldog Stadium and a big part of that is making sure we have the program that we need and providing coach with the resources and the things he needs to be successful.”

Staff continuity is seen as a critical piece and the Bulldogs could face some challenges this offseason, after Tedford and his assistants engineered one of the best turnarounds in college football history.

Fresno State, 1-11 a year ago, is 9-4 and headed to a Dec. 24 Hawaii Bowl appearance against Houston with a chance to become only the second school to go from double-digit losses one season to double-digit wins the next. Miami (Ohio) finished 10-4 in 2010 after going 1-11.

The Bulldogs, with a two-deep of mostly returning players, have jumped to first in the conference in scoring defense from seventh, and second in total defense from sixth. They have allowed 17.2 points per game after giving up 30.9 a year ago and 319 yards per game after 415.1 last season.

On offense they have scored almost 10 points more per game, averaging 26.7 after 17.7 in 2016.

Fresno State is paying its nine on-field assistants a total of $1.7 million in base salary, behind conference champion Boise State at $2.08 million, Colorado State at $1.84 million and San Diego State at $1.74 million.

Offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer and defensive coordinator Orlondo Steinauer are the Bulldogs’ highest-paid assistants, both contracts worth $310,000.

A Power 5 program could come in and offer a salary double or triple that, but a greater pool at least could negate the risk of lateral moves.

“It’s always a priority to continue to maintain your staff,” Robertello said. “They did a phenomenal job this year. They’re doing a tremendous job in recruiting.

“We want to show our coaches that we’re committed to having them at Fresno State and continuing to build on the success that we had this year.”

A 10th assistant, approved by the NCAA Division I Council in April, becomes effective Jan. 9, 2018.

That position could be filled a number of ways – programs could promote a quality control assistant or an analyst or go out and hire a veteran position coach.

“We’re in the process right now in evaluating and looking at things that will help us improve as an athletic program, not just football,” Tedford said.

“Typically, some of the things that help football helps everyone and that’s really the goal, to make the experience of all our student-athletes what it needs to be so everyone can maximize their potential.”

But the investment could pay off for an athletic department trying to pay for two new sports amid declining ticket sales and revenues while also working through a renovation plan for a crumbling Bulldog Stadium.

“I think the excitement that was there two weeks ago, that was the most energetic crowd I think anyone has seen in a while and I’ve heard more people tell me in the week and a half after that game that felt like Bulldog Stadium,” Robertello said.

“We want to continue to build on that momentum so that’s what you see in that stadium every week and all of those pieces are factors in making sure we have a sustainable, lasting and successful program.”

This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 8:44 PM with the headline "Looking to build on success, Fresno State will continue to invest in football."