Ex-OC Mike Yurcich among highest-paid Penn State employees last year, new documents show

Mike Yurcich was relieved of his duties as offensive coordinator of the Penn State football program in November 2023. But for that season and the rest of the 2023-24 fiscal year, Yurcich was one of the highest-paid employees at the university.

On Friday, Penn State released its Right-to-Know Law Report for the period running from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. The documents show that Yurcich earned $1,274,881, making him the school’s sixth highest-compensated employee during that time. The ex-Nittany Lions coordinator’s base salary was $442,195, with $775,607 in incentive-based bonuses. He also earned $57,079 in retirement, non-taxable benefits, and other compensation.

Head coach James Franklin was Penn State’s highest-paid employee last fiscal year, with a total compensation package of $8,628,807. Head basketball coach Mike Rhoades was second at $4,229,999, and athletic director Pat Kraft was fifth at $1,403,395. Yurcich earned more than Nittany Lions wrestling coach Cael Sanderson, who made $1,017,300 that year.

While not every program is captured in On3’s college football coaching salaries database, from the information that is reported, there were 12 offensive coordinators with higher salaries than Yurcich during the 2023 season. In January, Yurcich was hired as the offensive coordinator at Youngstown State. The role is his first sideline opportunity since leaving the Nittany Lions.

Yurcich’s replacement, Andy Kotelnicki, was the fifth-highest-paid offensive coordinator in college football in 2024, with a reported salary of $1.6 million. Penn State football grabbed headlines this winter by making new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles the highest-paid assistant coach in the sport at $3.1 million per year.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation. Part of the Full Ride network, we are an alumni-owned and operated, credentialed media outlet dedicated to providing you with updated and reliable insights for all your favorite Nittany Lion sports. Whether it’s Penn State football, basketball, wrestling, or anything in between, you can find it all on Basic Blues Nation!

Please follow us on our social channels, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and subscribe to our newsletter on Substack for breaking news and notifications. For feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at basicbluesnation@gmail.com or direct message us on social media.