Illinois has rewarded one of the key architects of its football resurgence with a significant contract extension.
CBS Sports reported Monday that the Illini have signed head strength and conditioning coach Tenarius “Tank” Wright to a new three-year deal that makes him one of the three highest-paid strength coaches in college football.
Wright has been instrumental in Illinois’ turnaround since Bret Bielema hired him in January 2021. The Illini have posted 19 wins over the last two seasons, including seven fourth-quarter comeback victories. Under Wright’s leadership in the weight room and training facilities, Illinois has built a strong NFL pipeline, producing 12 draft picks in the last four years alone.
The extension underscores the exploding market for elite strength and conditioning coaches. Once viewed primarily as a support role, the position has become a critical investment for Power conference programs seeking greater on-field durability, injury prevention, late-game physicality, and pro development. Top S&C coaches are now commanding salaries that rival or exceed many position coaches and coordinators from just a few years ago.
That market shift was highlighted earlier this year when 2025 FootballScoop Strength Coach of the Year Derek Owings was hired away from Indiana by Tennessee on a reported $1.2 million-per-year deal — the highest salary ever for a college football strength coach. Owings’ three-year contract through 2029 reset the benchmark at the position.
Here’s a look at the current landscape of the highest-paid head strength and conditioning coaches in FBS football, based on the most recent USA Today data (through late 2024) and confirmed 2026 moves:
- Derek Owings – Tennessee – $1,200,000
- Rob Glass – Oklahoma State – $1,100,000
- David Ballou – Alabama – $950,000
- Mickey Marotti – Ohio State – $862,238
- Nick Savage - LSU -- $825,000
- Raimond Braithwaite – Iowa – $835,000
- Ryan Russell – Missouri – $700,000
- Jerry Schmidt – Oklahoma – $700,000
- Torre Becton – Texas – $650,000
- Mike McDonald – Michigan State – $650,000
Other notable names in the upper tier include Joey Batson (Clemson), Josh Storms (Florida State), Wilson Love (Oregon) and Tommy Moffitt (Texas A&M). Wright’s new deal slots him into the elite conversation alongside these programs, even as exact figures for his extension remain unreported beyond the “top three” framing.
Wright’s extension comes at a pivotal time for Illinois football. After years of rebuilding, the program has become a consistent Big Ten contender under Bielema, fielding physical, tough, and fundamentally sound teams that routinely win the close ones. Much of that identity traces directly back to the culture and results Wright has cultivated in the strength program.
As the college football arms race intensifies — with NIL, the transfer portal, and playoff expansion all raising the stakes — investing in the weight room is no longer optional. Programs that get it right, like Illinois has with Wright, are seeing the payoff on Saturdays and on draft day.