![University of Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck emerged from the tunnel before the start of Saturday afternoon's spring game. ] AARON LAVINSKY ï aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football team played their annual spring game on Saturday, April 17, 2017 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/EYQOHDUQYKNC7QCUHMYGLOK7X4.jpg?&w=1080)
The Gophers will pay P.J. Fleck's offensive and defensive coordinators $700,000 salaries, up from $550,000 under former coach Tracy Claeys, according to assistant coaching contracts obtained by the Star Tribune.
Offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca and defensive coordinator Robb Smith each signed two-year, $1.4 million contracts, while the other seven assistant coaches received one-year deals.
Fleck's top nine assistants will combine to make $3.215 million next season. The people in those positions made $2.93 million last year under Claeys, with then-offensive coordinator Jay Johnson and then-defensive coordinator Jay Sawvel making $550,000 apiece.
Smith made $825,000 last season as Arkansas' defensive coordinator, which made him the 23rd-highest paid assistant coach in the country, according to USA Today.
Gophers offensive line coach Ed Warinner will make $375,000 in his new deal after making $654,500 last year as Ohio State's co-offensive coordinator/tight ends coach.
Defensive backs coach Maurice Linquist, who previously coached at Mississippi State, is Fleck's next-highest- paid assistant, at $350,000.
Special teams coordinator Rob Wenger is making $230,000, wide receivers coach Matt Simon, defensive line coach Bryce Paup and tight ends coach Brian Callahan are each making $220,000, and running backs coach Kenni Burns is making $200,000.
Claeys made $1.5 million as the Gophers head coach last season, and his assistant coaching salary pool ($2.93 million) ranked 34th in the nation last year, according to USA Today.
