Tennessee football has the second-highest-paid coaching analyst in the SEC, and its total analyst payroll ranks third in the league, according to salary data obtained by the USA TODAY Sports Network. Senior defensive analyst Levorn Harbin, a valuable recruiter and assistant defensive line coach for Tennessee, earns $325,000 annually. Only Texas A&M senior defensive analyst Bryant Gross-Armiento, who earns $450,000 annually, has a higher pay among analysts in the SEC.
But Gross-Armiento was a full-time assistant as Texas A&M defensive backs coach under Jimbo Fisher, and he was retained by first-year coach Mike Elko as a defensive analyst. That means Harbin is likely the SEC’s highest-paid analyst working on an analyst contract.
Tennessee pays 13 full-time football analysts $1,133,960, an average of $87,228 per staff member. Two additional UT analysts are temporary employees. In the SEC, only Texas A&M ($1,705,018) and LSU ($1,158,000) have a bigger payroll for their analysts.
Harbin is among four Tennessee football analysts who earn six figures annually, including 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, led by the Austin American-Statesman, collected analyst salaries from SEC schools via open records requests. Knox News obtained salaries for Tennessee football analysts for the project. Florida declined to release its analyst pay. Vanderbilt is a private institution and therefore does not have to comply with public records requests.
Analysts are valuable behind-the-scenes staff members of college football programs. They break down game film, scout opponents, manage personnel and assist in on-campus recruiting and other tasks.
Many are young analysts working up through the ranks to higher paying assistant jobs. Others are veteran analysts whose expertise complement position coaches and coordinators.
And after an NCAA rule change in the 2024 season, analysts can now coach players on the field in practice and games. Previously, they were not allowed to provide direct instruction to players. They could only observe and work behind the scenes.
The rule change made analysts even more valuable to programs that use them effectively.
