Michigan offensive coordinator Al Borges receives 86 percent raise in new three-year contract
Offensive coordinator Al Borges has received a big pay bump after one season with the Michigan football team.
The Detroit Free Press reports Borges signed a three-year contract Jan. 24 that pays him $650,000 annually. That's almost twice as much as the $350,000 he made last year, when he helped guide the Wolverines to an 11-2 season.
Borges was not under a formal contract for 2011.
Michigan offensive coordinator Al Borges received a $300,000 pay raise, according to reports.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
The pay raise brings him more in line with defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, who earns $750,000 annually, and helps ensure Borges sticks around after his name surfaced in several coaching searches during the offseason.
Michigan coach Brady Hoke told AnnArbor.com last month some of his assistants "had opportunities" to leave for different jobs this offseason, although he didn't name anyone.
He also said there had been no talks about raises for his staff -- noting "we didn't win the Big Ten" -- and that they came at the discretion of athletic director Dave Brandon.
"We’re real fortunate because we have an athletic director who, No. 1, played the game, played for Bo (Schembechler), loves Michigan, has gone out into the corporate world and has been the best of the best, and understands rewarding people when you feel the need to reward them," Hoke said.
"At the same time, if you’re not getting your job done, I’m sure you’ll have a conversation."
Hoke said money helps keep a staff intact, but his assistants' love for Michigan also is a big draw.
"We’re the winningest program in the history of college football," Hoke said. "Who else can say that?"
Borges' first season with Michigan was successful by most measures. His offense scored 33.3 points per game, which was up from 32.8 in 2010 despite transitioning to a new scheme and terminology.
He also has been praised for bending his West Coast system to fit the skill-set of star dual-threat quarterback Denard Robinson.
Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.
Comments
A2Blue
Thu, Apr 19, 2012 : 3:22 a.m.
All I know is that my tickets have gone up again. Brandon is squeezing the fans every way possible. So yes he can afford the raise.
Tom
Thu, Apr 19, 2012 : 2:47 a.m.
He deserves it. Those 8 sacks allowed to MSU were impressive. Those 184 yards of total offense and 1.6 yards per carry vs. a stiff from the ACC were equally impressive. Let's keep him around for years to come....Narduzzi's defense will eat him up (if that is possible).
7718
Thu, Apr 19, 2012 : 1:31 a.m.
Will tomorrow's headline be "Brandon raises ticket prices"? I know the football program is self supporting but the floodgates may open with the rest of the coaches too. The so- called minor sport coaches may also want in on the action...
Scott Laux
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 3:37 p.m.
Well US CEO pay has risen from an average of 44-1 in comparison to workers in 1980 to 325 to 1 in 2010. We all know how much better CEO's are today than they were 30 years ago. US CEO's make vastly more than German CEO's or Japanese CEO"s. And we know that our CEO's are much better than German or Japanese CEO's. Right? So why not pay an offensive coordinator who was making $205,000 in his last job at SDSU $750,000 at Michigan. Poor America.
MRunner73
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 5:04 p.m.
Have you seen what a few of the Detroit Tiger players are making? If you can justify that or be comfortable with that, then a six figure salary for those on the U-M Football coaching staff working 80 to 100 hours week are certainly worth it.
RJ12688
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 12:41 p.m.
I'd say its a well deserved raise. He started out a little rocky, but considering he is using players from an entirely different system I would say he adjusted nicely as the season went on. I'm excited to see what he can do this coming season now that he knows what all of his players are capable of.
Tex Treeder
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 12:16 a.m.
What an obscene amount of money to pay someone to coach football. Arguments that "this is what the market pays" are beside the point. Regardless of how much revenue the Athletic Department raises for itself, $650,000 for a football coach is just flat out obscene.
Steve McQueen
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 8:20 a.m.
Who's side are you on anyway Scott? You forget that Al had successful stints as OC at good programs such as UCLA, Oregon, Auburn when they were undefeated BTW etc. The guy has proven to be an excellent OC and certainly worthy of this salary. Really do your homework before you speak out on a topic that you do not know anything about. Peace bro.
Scott Laux
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 2:14 a.m.
That's not what the market pays for a guy who was a coordinator at SDSU last year and resigned or was fired from auburn after the offense declined for several years. No one would pay Borges more than a few hundred grand a year. It's cronyism. Good old boy politics.
Steve McQueen
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 2:14 a.m.
Working 12 hours a day for 25 years of a career to get to this point of leading one of the biggest programs in college football....is not enough for you to justify the salary which is easily afforded by the budget which these guys are responsible for...is not enough? wow ... that is just crazy. No one gets in to coaching for the money. No one.
azwolverine
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 2:09 a.m.
The only question I have is: Why didn't I get into coaching?
Terry Star21
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 1:14 a.m.
But the worst is, he is worth so much more........
LB
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 12:05 a.m.
You are all missing the big picture. College coaching salaries and major college athletics is getting way out of hand!
Scott Laux
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 3:27 p.m.
Amen!!!!! Ho needs almost a million dollars a year?
Steve McQueen
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 2:12 a.m.
but that is a whole other debate LB. If you look at these coaches and coordinators as what they truly are: The leaders in charge of a multi million dollar company... you can see that they are certainly paid their worth.
Tally10
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 9:50 p.m.
I believe the raise had more to do with securing the coaching staff than merit. One season is not enough time to justify a 100% raise on merit. You can't completely compare 1 season to the previous, there's to many contingencies. 2010: DR 1st yr starter, Fitz injured, younger team, tougher schedule. 2011: Returned 8-9 starters from a top 10 rank O, Fitz healthy, played only 3 of the 5 BT teams M lost to in 2010, and lost 2 of the 3, beating only a depleted OSU with an interim coach and fman QB at home. What you need to evaluate is; his production last season with the personnel he had against the competition he played. Based on that, no, 100% raise isn't merited, but I understand why they did it.
JustfortheRecord
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 12:24 p.m.
obviously the guy had other offers, turned them down for a fat raise, and the Michigan team will be better off for it.
DonAZ
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 7:54 p.m.
As has been noted -- Borges took an offense that proved impotent against decent defenses and forged it into a team that played competitively and beat decent defenses. +1 to Nathan and his comments. Unlike the prior coach who-shall-not-be-named, Borges showed a willingness to modify his views to fit the situation. Borges -- as well as Coach Funk -- have forged what looks like a stellar O-line for the future. He's one of the better OCs around. I'm glad he's with Michigan.
Nathan Parke
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 6:07 p.m.
Im so amazed at the lack of truth in these arguments. He improved the numbers especially in conference games.
Terry Star21
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 1:12 a.m.
Nathan, it's okay to be frightened....most of America is !
Tally10
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 10:07 p.m.
There's a lot of partial truths in your post. Look at the whole picture. He didn't improve it by play calling, it was DR and JH making big plays out of nothing ( you know all the jump balls you all keep talking about :-) ). I'm not knocking the guy, it was his 1st yr, us fans just have to be real. No coach is going to do everything right, nor is any coach going to do all wrong.
Nathan Parke
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 6 p.m.
For everyone saying Borgess did nothing to deserve the raise, There is one stat that merits the raise. He improved the points per game in conference play by almost 14. I dont know the exact numbers. He also was able to get a true back identified for the first time since Hart left. We haven't even got to see his true talents as an O cord because he is still working with parts put together for a totally different scheme than what he has ever ran before. He admitted to never running a spread type system and actually improved it from the last couple years. Wait until he has Morris and Co. to work with. The Mad scientist will show then.
Scott Laux
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 3:26 p.m.
The defense was stopping the ball a lot more so the o had more chances to score in beg ten play. As to seeing Al's genius. Auburn saw his true talents as an offensive coordinator and he resigned/ was fired in 2007.
TheWay
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 5:07 p.m.
I'd like to see how Borges fares with his own players and the system he actually wants to run before I'd give him a raise/extension.
TheWay
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 9:49 p.m.
Great example, Auburn. Because after that undefeated season (which was achieved with somebody else's players) his offense declined heavily in each of the following years until he and the rest of the coaching staff were dismissed. All I'm saying is that he has had a great first year followed by continuous decline before. Let it play out a couple years before you hand him more money.
JustfortheRecord
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 12:23 p.m.
The man proved himself by taking Auburn to an undefeated season a while back. Michigan has a big budget, a guy like that should get a competitive salary. Even if he is not the greatest in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD, it certainly will not behoove the team to have to learn a new system every 2 years.
TheWay
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 5:39 a.m.
I agree Tark. Let them prove themselves... before you give them raises. Just like you shouldn't fire a coach after one year, you shouldn't be handing out raises after one year. Particularly to the coordinator who isn't even playing with his own playbook yet. If you're going to give anybody a raise, it should be Mattison. HE'S the one who worked the miracles this past season.
azwolverine
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 2:06 a.m.
Tark...I agree 100%.
Tark
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 5:49 p.m.
I'd like to see a Michigan coaching squad that compiled an 11-2 record with essentially the same team that went 7-6 the year before remain intact and be given a chance to complete their program. And if that means paying the offensive coordinator that the HEAD COACH WANTS a competitive salary for the industry, then do it. I'd also like to see a Michigan fan base that whined and b*tched the last 3 years about the then-coach shut up for a minute and let the current coaching staff prove themselves.
Frankyhollywood68
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 3:37 p.m.
They should be paid Hokes salary...seeing as those two are the real coaches of the team. Have you ever seen Hoke with headphones on during ANY game!?! he's not talking to anyone...or coaching the team!!
RJ12688
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 12:35 p.m.
Yea... because headphones are what make a great coach...
Terry Star21
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 1:10 a.m.
Franky, you not serious right ? If you are American college football is much different here in the states.
Nathan Parke
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 6:03 p.m.
Franky- So Bo wasnt a real coach? He didnt wear headphones, What in the world did coaches do before there were headsets to wear. Geeze that is one of the arguements Ive ever read.
GoBigBlue
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 4:05 p.m.
I think anyone who knows football can see that Hoke is not an Xs and Os coach. He coaches technique and he is a LEADER. He doesn't call the plays, but he makes the major decisions in each and every game. Borges and Mattison are fantastic at what they do. They are Xs and Os coaches on there respectable sides of the ball. Make no mistake, Hoke is the HEAD coach and undisputed leader of this program. The beauty of it all is that everyone within the program knows there role. That's what leads to 11 wins! Not "fans" outside the program second guessing coaches because of the lack of a headset.
ted
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 3:34 p.m.
Al Borges has to be wondering at this point how he has managed to fool so many people about who he is.
azwolverine
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 2:05 a.m.
You're right. I checked into his background and his REAL name is...Alan.
bobslowson
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 2:47 p.m.
More quadruple cheeseburgers for Al!
michboy40
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 2:23 p.m.
Lets get this strait. Borges worked without a formal contract last year?...This on the heals of Brady Hoke accepting the job without even knowing what he would get paid?...and stating that he did not really care what he got paid? These are some seriously old school guys. I love it! Pay the man!
MRunner73
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 10:54 a.m.
Borges is worth it, period. A coaching staff the remains stable is great for the players, great for recruiting and show good faith by the Athletic Department. Yes, the AD can afford it. No, he isn't overpayed. Some of the comments above have too much thought in breaking this down. The offensive numbers are and were likely to drop in year one of the new regime. We'll need to see improvement in 2012. Bear in mind the hours per week to coaching staff spends. Now that spring practice is over, it doesn't mean these guys are working 20 hours weeks. Thumbs up to the Borges pay hike and am glad he's going to here for a while.
Scott Laux
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 6:04 a.m.
Illogical. Mattison took one of the worst defenses in the nation and made it one of the best. Did Borge improve the offense? All the young players were one year older yet the statistics were very similar. The points per game went from 32.8 ppg to 33.3ppg in 2011. The total yards gained dropped from 6553 to 5261. The 2010 team had no field goal kicker. the 2011 had a good one. Had nothing to do with Al. Borges scheme to make Denard a drop back passer resulted in a rise in interceptions and a drop off in passing yards gained. 1st bad decision Hoke and Brandon have made to date.
Scott Laux
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 2:12 a.m.
When your defense is stopping the defense 5 times out of six you get the ball more than almost never in 2010- so you score a lot more.
Steve McQueen
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 2:10 a.m.
btw genius... when your defense is terrible as Michigan was under Rich Rod and company... you get A TON OF YARDS in Garbage Time when your team is way behind... See Wisconsin, MSU, Iowa, Ohio, Miss State...etc etc etc.. that was the Rich Rod Error.
Steve McQueen
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 2:09 a.m.
when did Yards win football games?? lol whatever
azwolverine
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 2:03 a.m.
You failed to also mention the improvement in ppg vs. OSU. That was plus 32 under Borges. Further, Gibbons was RR's field goal kicker as well. Gibbons has virtually said himself that RR ruined him mentally, whereas the new staff picked him up and were hugely responsible for his improvement. Signing Borges to more money was not a bad decision at all...it was a great one.
Nathan Parke
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 6:05 p.m.
What was the points per game in conference. You failed to mention that he improved that stat by almost 14 pts per game.
Terry Star21
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 3:04 p.m.
You're funny....lol
MRunner73
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 10:59 a.m.
This was only year one and adjustments were made. There was a drop off in Rich Rod's first year on BOTH sides of the ball. Your point is well taken on the offensive drop off, I'll call it-change in year one so let's watch and take notes on how well Borges' unit does in year two. I am amazed on how easy it is to second guess these type of decisions from the fan base. I am glad there isn't a popular vote taken on these matters.
Steve McQueen
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 5:54 a.m.
"Michigan ranks third in football revenue ($63,189,417) and second in football profit ($44,861,184) but just fifth in football spending ($18,328,233)" Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/23007/the-big-ten-vs-sec-in-revenue Lets put that in perspective. A typical sales person in most industries will earn approximately 8 to 10% of their Gross Revenue in their Territory, as their compensation. For example, if your territory produces $3mil per year, a good rep will be paid between 200 and 300K. These are very round number of course, and operating margins will certainly play in there, and I am not factoring those...but In my personal experience it works out generally to be 8 to 10% is what you take home. Using the numbers above... at approximately 8%... of the total gross football rev. would equal a "take home" of $5,040,000 which would be more equivalent to a HC than an OC of course. But it does put in to perspective Al Borges compensation vs. what he "brings in" for the program with his work. Would it be out of the line to think that Al's "Department of Offense" brings in over the $5 to 7 million per year? Of course it would....heck the number is probably much higher than that. For those reason, the OC and the DC are appropriately paid.
Steve McQueen
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 5:56 a.m.
note that the data from above applies to 2010 but no doubt Michigan increased that in 011. Also note that Ohio spends more on their football program than any other BT school. No surprise there. Tats and kick backs cost a lot of money.
aarox
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 4:11 a.m.
He can go to D&W now instead of Alti
GoBigBlue
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 2:51 a.m.
I have one request on this subject: There is but one man I know of who truly LOVES Mr Borges. Ted, please share your thoughts with your followers on this most interesting development. Big Al, bringing home the bacon! : ) Go Blue!
Tru2Blu76
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 2:21 a.m.
Good for Al Borges: now maybe he can afford to go beyond his bare subsistence diet. As we can see by the accompanying photo, he was wasting away to nothing. I remember back in the early 70s, I once celebrated getting a $2000 / year raise. I wonder though how one celebrates getting a $300,000 / year raise.
michboy40
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 2:35 a.m.
Krispy Creme
Steve McQueen
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 2:26 a.m.
hopefully not like the US Secret Service does....
Steve McQueen
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 1:25 a.m.
This is a great move by Michigan to retain Al Borges. He is worth this money with what he brings to the team, and the revenue generated by Michigan football certainly supports this pay raise. If you want to compete with the big boys in college football, you have to pay your coordinators on the same or similar level. Fickell at ohio makes 750K... can anyone say that he has earned that money? probably not based on his defense's performance.... Al Borges is a far superior coach than Fickell and his career accomplishments blow Fickell away... though on the other side of the ball of course. I make that comparison to show that Al has earned this pay level at this point in his career.
Steve McQueen
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 2:08 a.m.
Yeah Scott..the offense did not improve under Borges...even though it scored more points than the prior year and didnt even get to play the fourth quarter vs. Western.... Seriously if 33+ points per game, 11-2 and 2 1000 yd rushers are not enough for you...go root for another team... or maybe you already do.
azwolverine
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 1:59 a.m.
Scott... How can you possibly say that UM's offense showed no improvement under Borges? Did you watch UM ring up 45 on Nebraska's black shirts? Did you watch UM rack up 40 on OSU when they couldn't even ring up 25 TOTAL in 3 years under RR? Did you notice Borges added a 1,000 yard rusher to compliment DR and take the pressure off of him from having to do everything? If you didn't notice these things, you either didn't watch the team this year or you don't understand the game.
Scott Laux
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 6:10 a.m.
great move to retain Al Borges. Al resigned from auburn in 2007 after a slow decline in offensive output. He was at San Diego State at the decline of his career when he got lucky enough to hitch a ride with Hoke to Michigan. At Michigan the offense showed no improvement despite having a kicking game which absent in 2010. No one would hire Borges for this absurd new salary.
truebluefan
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 12:59 a.m.
Is Borges worth $650k per year? That is the question. No doubt Mattison is worth it, after totally turning around a lackluster defense. That's not to mention his prowess on the recruiting trail. But Borges took an already talented offense, tinkered with it to try to (wrongfully) turn it into a pro style early in the year, it didn't work, then reverted more to the spread later in the year when it flourished again. I'm not a big fan of this type of raise.
truebluefan
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 11:50 a.m.
az -- it's the defense that provided short fields for the offense all year long. And we put up 58 against the worst B1G team in history, which helps the average. I'm not sure what everyone else was watching but I saw the offense spending most of 2011 trying to get out of its own way.
azwolverine
Wed, Apr 18, 2012 : 1:54 a.m.
Borges is well worth the raise. His offense didn't average many more points over the course of the season than RR's did, but RR ran up huge scores against the BGSU's and UMass' of the world while falling flat against OSU and the other big dogs of the B10. Borges, by utilizing a TE and a TB diversified the offense to the point of making it damn near unstoppable no matter WHO UM was playing. 45 on Nebraska and 40 v. ohio tells me all I need to know. Borges earned his money and I'm happy to have his flexible, creative mind guiding our high powered offense into the future.
truebluefan
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 11:55 a.m.
Is Borges worth $650k? Is he really a top coordinator? I don't think so, based on what I saw last year. I saw a TON of great defense and a few flashes of the 2010 offense. It seemed like the offense treaded water as the defense saved the day every Saturday (except against OSU). Borges shoved I-form down our throats most of the year until he finally realized that the offense thrived out of the shotgun. That is my main takeaway from Borges in 2011. He may be good for what Michigan has planned on offense down the road (Shane Morris at QB) but his game planning for Denard and Devin has been mediocre to bad.
RJ12688
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 4:35 a.m.
7718, you dont need to make excuses for RR. He already made enough while he was at UM. The "bare cupboard" argument is silly. Brady made a point to reach out to Drob and tell him he will be the focus of the offense when he arrived, thus securing the talented QB. RR failed to keep Mallet around. (I dont care if you think Lloyd told him to leave) Then on top of that, he took Threet and Sheridan and stuck them in a read option. What kind of fool would actually think they could win that way? 3 wins at UM is a complete and utter failure, no matter the circumstances. It blows my mind that people still try and support the guy that put together the 3 worst years of UM football any of us has lived through.
7718
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 2:07 a.m.
Rj, Denard Robinson is a tad bit better than nick Sheridan was. How many freshmen and sophomores did RR have as starters his first year here? How many returning starters did Borges and hoke have their first year?
Steve McQueen
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 1:21 a.m.
It is the market rate for top OCs. That is just the way it is. If you want to compete, you have to pay. BTW...Michigan is in the top 4 in revenue producing athletic depts. and football is the huge part of that revenue. These coaches are really like C level execs. at major corporations, in terms of their responsibilities, contribution to revenue generating and the many long hours that they put in... and should be paid as such.
RJ12688
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 1:08 a.m.
I think any UM fan should see the value of a flexable coach. Al tried to bring in his system, and it struggled, so he went back to what the players are comfortable with. The previous coach failed there, and went 3-9 in year one. Al got more out of the offense in his first year than RR did in either year he was there. In year two, Al will have the most productive offense in the B1G. Take that to the bank.
DonAZ
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 12:56 a.m.
I suspect there's a growing awareness of the value of good coordinators ... at Michigan and elsewhere.
Terry Star21
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 12:15 a.m.
Although it does appear to be a large raise, one must remember why the top college football coaches are drawn away (big buck$). I believe Borges and Mattison would have stayed forever, so why not reward them for their dedication, teaching and leadership. You must also realize that college football coaches marry 24/7 employment situations, that take a toll on their health, lives and most importantly their families. I would like to hear Michigan Man Ted's assessment before commenting more.
miatamich
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 12:05 a.m.
That's a lotta dough for a coordinator.
Steve McQueen
Tue, Apr 17, 2012 : 1:21 a.m.
It is the market rate for top OCs. That is just the way it is. If you want to compete, you have to pay. BTW...Michigan is in the top 4 in revenue producing athletic depts. and football is the huge part of that revenue. These coaches are really like C level execs. at major corporations, in terms of their responsibilities, contribution to revenue generating and the many long hours that they put in... and should be paid as such.