According to salary data collected by the USA TODAY Sports Network, Tennessee football has the second-highest-paid coaching analyst in the SEC, while the team’s total analyst payroll ranks third.
Senior defensive analyst Levorn Harbin, a valuable recruiter and assistant defensive line coach for Tennessee, makes $325,000 per year.
Bryant Gross-Armiento, a senior defence analyst at Texas A&M, receives $450,000 per year, the highest salary among SEC analysts.
Gross-Armiento was a full-time assistant as Texas A&M’s defensive backs coach under Jimbo Fisher, and first-year coach Mike Elko kept him on as a defensive analyst. That implies Harbin is most certainly the SEC’s highest-paid analyst with an analyst contract.
Tennessee pays 13 full-time football analysts $1,133,960, with an average of $87,228 per employee. Two additional UT analysts are temporary workers. Only Texas A&M ($1,705,018) and Louisiana State University ($1,158,000) have higher analyst salaries in the SEC.
Harbin is one of four Tennessee football analysts that earn six figures each year, with senior offensive analyst Max Thurmond ($150,000), special teams analyst Evan Crabtree ($100,000), and offensive analyst Mitch Militello ($100,000).
The USA TODAY Sports Network, coordinated by the Austin American-Statesman, obtained analyst salaries from SEC institutions using open records requests. Knox News received salary information for Tennessee football analysts for the project. Florida declined to disclose its analyst compensation. Vanderbilt is a private institution and hence not required to respond with public records requests.
Tennessee’s analyst compensation ranks among SEC leaders (Levorn Harbin, Tennessee defensive analyst) during a game against Missouri at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday, October 2, 2021.
Analysts are important behind-the-scenes personnel members for college football programs. They analyse game film, scout opponents, manage people, and help with on-campus recruiting and other activities.
Many are young analysts advancing through the ranks to higher-paying assistant positions. Others are experienced analysts who supplement position coaches and coordinators.
Following an NCAA regulation change in the 2024 season, analysts can now instruct players on the pitch during practice and games. Previously, they were not permitted to give players direct instructions. They could only observe and work from behind the scenes.
The rule modification increased analysts’ value to programs that use them effectively.
According to data acquired by the USA TODAY Sports Network and compiled by the Austin American-Statesman, this is Tennessee’s SEC analyst salary ranking.
Texas A&M: $1,705,018; LSU: $1,158,000.
Tennessee: $1,133,960
Alabama: $1,067,340
Ole Miss: $889,563
Auburn: $853,000
Mississippi State costs $670,000.
Texas: $539,599
Georgia spends $263,584.
Oklahoma: $253,000
Kentucky: $152,852
Arkansas: $85,000
South Carolina – $0 Missouri – $0 VanderbiltPrivate
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Who is Tennessee’s Levorn Harbin, the SEC’s second-highest paid analyst?
Harbin, also known as “Chop,” isn’t your normal analyst. As a result, other SEC schools have expressed interest in hiring him for higher-level jobs.
Harbin works with veteran defensive line coach Rodney Garner, who has built one of college football’s best units and produced multiple NFL players.
Tennessee Defensive Analyst Levorn Harbin, left, and Defensive Line coach Rodney Garner talk during the first day of Tennessee football practice at Anderson Training Facility in Knoxville, Tenn., on Monday, August 1, 2022.
Harbin is also beneficial in Vols recruiting.
The NCAA allows just 11 football staff members to travel for off-campus recruiting, which typically includes the head coach and ten assistant coaches. However, Harbin has stepped in to undertake off-campus recruiting when an assistant coach has undergone offseason surgery.
Tennessee recruits have also acknowledged Harbin with having an important part in their decision to join with the Volunteers.
Harbin has considerable expertise both on and off the pitch. He coached the defensive line at Valdosta State (2001-02), Tuskegee (2006-13), Louisiana-Lafayette (2015-17), and Miles College (2018-19). He previously served as an NFL scout for the Atlanta Falcons from 2004 to 2005.
Harbin, on the other hand, collaborated with Garner twice at Auburn, serving as defensive recruiting coordinator (2013-15) and director of recruitment (2019-21). He is currently Garner’s highly compensated chief assistant.
Tennessee pays Garner $900,000 per year, with a contract that expires in January 2026. Garner is one of college football’s most regarded defensive line coaches, having produced 34 NFL draft picks as an assistant at Tennessee, Auburn, and Georgia.
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