USC paid Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian a combined $5.8 million in 2015 season. Total games? Five
USC’s second-highest paid coach for the 2015 football season hadn’t coached the team in more than a year. Its highest-paid coach didn’t make it past October.
In the 2015-16 fiscal year, Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian were again among USC’s best-compensated employees, according to the school’s federal tax return, which was released Monday.
USC paid Kiffin about $2.5 million in salary and other benefits, effectively subsidizing Kiffin’s job as the offensive coordinator at Alabama. Sarkisian, who was fired in Oct. 2015 after alcohol-related incidents was paid $3.3 million, a figure that appears to be pro-rated.
Former athletic director Pat Haden was paid about $2.8 million in his last year before stepping down. Haden’s $1-million bonus that fiscal year was second only to university president C.L. Max Nikias’ bonus of $1.5 million. Nikias’ approximately $3.8 million in total compensation was the highest in the university.
The tax filing was provided in response to a request from The Times and covers July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016. Because USC is a private school, it is not obligated to release salary figures for all of its employees, but it must disclose the highest-paid individuals as part of its annual non-profit tax filings.
Current football coach Clay Helton was named the full-time coach in November of 2015, signing a five-year contract, but he was not listed in the filing. Basketball coach Andy Enfield, who made $1.9 million in the previous fiscal year, also wasn’t listed. A school spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
USC has paid Kiffin since Haden fired him in 2013. The previous fiscal year, he was paid $2.7 million.
Compensation for all three athletic department figures declined slightly. Haden was paid about $100,000 less, and Sarkisian was paid about $400,000 less.
The decline in Sarkisian’s pay likely reflects his ouster. He has sued the university for the remainder of the money in his contract in addition to unspecified damages. The suit will go to binding arbitration in July.
Haden has remained with USC to finish its fundraising efforts for the renovation of the Coliseum. Officials said the school has raised $225 million in cash and pledges of the $270 million needed.
Follow Zach Helfand on Twitter @zhelfand
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
