Jim Grobe will earn $1.25 million for serving as Baylor's head coach for the 2016 season, Brett McMurphy of ESPN reported Monday. That salary places Grobe ahead of full-time coaches Matt Campbell (Iowa State) and David Beaty (Kansas) within the Big 12, and significantly ahead of recent interim head coach salary figures on record.
Bill Cubit earned $915,000 for leading Illinois through the 2015 season -- $515,000 for his original role as offensive coordinator, plus an extra $400,000 for being named Tim Beckman's interim replacement just days before the season.
In a situation most analogous with Baylor's, Arkansas hired John L. Smith to take over for Bobby Petrino in April of 2012 while paying him $850,000 on a 10-month contract.
Ohio State paid Luke Fickell $775,000 to serve as its head coach in 2011 after Jim Tressel's Memorial Day resignation, while Everett Withers earned $208,000 -- a $500,000 annual salary divided by five contract months -- for serving as North Carolina's interim head coach during that same season. Both Fickell and Withers were internal promotions.
Win totals for North Carolina and Illinois remained relatively flat during their interim seasons -- UNC fell from eight to seven, Illinois from six to five -- while Ohio State and Arkansas saw their victory totals plunge from 12 to six and 11 to four, respectively.
Baylor, 10-3 under Art Briles in 2015, opens its '16 season Friday, Sept. 2 opposite Northwestern State.