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.
Here’s where Tennessee ranks in analyst payroll in SEC, according to data obtained by the USA TODAY Sports Network and compiled by the Austin American-Statesman.
Harbin, known around the Tennessee program as “Chop,” isn’t a typical analyst. And that’s why he has been sought after by other SEC programs for higher-profile positions.
Harbin works alongside veteran defensive line coach Rodney Garner, who has assembled one of the top units in college football and produced several NFL players.
Harbin is also an asset in Vols recruiting.
The NCAA permits only 11 football staff members to go on the road for off-campus recruiting, which usually includes the head coach and 10 assistant coaches. But at different times, Harbin has filled in to do off-campus recruiting when an assistant coach had offseason surgery.
Tennessee recruits have also credited Harbin as playing a key role in their decision to sign with the Vols.
Harbin has extensive experience on and off the field. He was a defensive line coach at Valdosta State (2001-02), Tuskegee (2006-13), Louisiana-Lafayette (2015-17) and Miles College (2018-19). He was also an NFL scout for the Atlanta Falcons (2004-05).
But Harbin worked with Garner in two stints at Auburn as defensive recruiting coordinator (2013-15) and director of recruiting (2019-21). He is now Garner’s well-paid chief assistant.
Tennessee pays Garner $900,000 annually with a contract that expires in January 2026. Garner is among the most respected defensive line coaches in college football, producing 34 NFL draft picks as an assistant at Tennessee, Auburn and Georgia.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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