Can Youngstown State afford Vince Marrow?

We all knew that this day would come eventually that all of Mark Stoops assistants may move on to other jobs, but to be honest, I did not expect it after season two.  Neal Brown is still moving into his office at Troy and now there is a report that Vince Marrow could be on the list for head coaches at Youngstown State.  Even if Youngstown State comes after Vince Marrow, there is also the question as to whether they can afford him.  Keep in mind that Kentucky Sports Radio has talked to Marrow and he has said he is not leaving, but with coaching searches you never know.

"As expected, there has been quite a bit of interest from coaches in the head coaching position at Youngstown State. As more than a few guys have said to me, “That’s not a stepping stone job for a guy like me, that’s where I want to go, win and stay.”I’ll be brief; because this one truly has another week or so to play out and things should become more clear as Ron Strollo, Jim Tressel and crew narrow the field.To be clear, I don’t believe this to be an exhaustive list; but this is what I’ve heard through a number of sources, culled down to what I believe is real and truly has a shot. There certainly could be others and if those come to our attention we’ll update things on The Scoop.So, a certain level of interviews have already begun and are ongoing; but I have heard that further, on campus / in person interviews are expected to occur next week. With that said, here is a list of guys that we’ve heard the YSU administration was interested in… (no particular order)"

In the link above, Marrow’s name was listed on a list of seven candidates and the article goes on to say that other names can be added. Marrow has been a powerhouse recruiter so losing him would be a huge loss.

I have to admit, Marrow at Youngstown State could make a lot of sense. The President of Youngstown State is non other than Jim Tressel and adding a coach like Vince Marrow who recruits Ohio very well could be a godsend as the name recognition of Tressel plus Vince Marrow could recruit very well in the Buckeye State.

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If Youngstown State comes hard at Vince Marrow, you have to wonder if Kentucky will get in a bidding war for him. Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell was thought to be a candidate, but this would have been a drastic paycut for him. Former YSU coach Eric Wolford signed an extension earlier in 2014 for $213,894 plus $50,000 in marketing compensation.

Vince Marrow currently makes that now, as he received a $100,000 raise and the title of UK’s recruiting coordinator back in January.  Marrow’s current salary is $275,000.  When Mark Stoops got his contract extension recently, he mentioned that new contracts were in the works for his assistants. It should be noted that Neal Brown made $550,000 at Kentucky and his Troy contract was for $660,000 plus incentives.

In the end, the desire to become a head coach at Youngstown State will be what drive Vince Marrow to leave, not money. When Jim Tressel took over as school president, he inherited a school with severe financial problems. Tressel himself has a salary of just $300,000, so the thought of them outbidding Kentucky for Vince Marrow does not seem to be a possibility.