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In the next step to a possible invitation into college football's elite fraternity, the University of Houston will open the checkbook and pay a record amount in assistant coaching salaries this season. The nine full-time assistants on new coach Tom Herman's staff will earn $2.113 million, a 17 percent increase from 2014, according to contracts obtained by the Houston Chronicle through an open-records request. The total - nearly $300,000 more than the $1.82 million from last season - puts UH ahead of a handful of schools from the Power 5 conferences based on the most recent salary-pool figures for last season. Herman called UH "a sleeping giant in college football," with the recent shift in resources and upgrades aimed to make the school a more attractive option for the next round of conference realignment. Along with allowing assistant coaches to be paid more, UH opened $128 million TDECU Stadium last September and has plans for a $20 million football-only indoor practice facility. More InformationStaff salaries A look at the annual salaries for the nine full-time assistant football coaches on the University of Houston staff: Coach Position Years Value Todd Orlando Defensive coordinator/linebackers 2 $501,000 Major Applewhite Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks 2 $301,000 Craig Naivar Asst. head coach/co-defensive coordinator/safeties 1 $301,000 Derek Warehime Offensive line 1 $205,000 Oscar Giles Assistant head coach/defensive line 1 $201,000 Jason Washington Special teams coordinator/cornerbacks 1 $176,000 Corby Meekins Tight ends/fullbacks 1 $161,000 Kenith Pope Running backs 1 $151,000 Drew Mehringer Wide receivers 1 $116,000 Source: University of Houston Where they stand in SEC and Big 12 A look at where the University of Houston's $2.113 million would rank in assistant coach salary pool in select Power 5 conferences. Note: Figures for schools, other than UH, are for 2014 and do not include private universities: SEC (in millions of dollars) LSU $5.499 Alabama $5.213 Auburn $4.370 Texas A&M $3.484 South Carolina $3.333 Georgia $3.327 Tennessee $3.265 Florida $3.225 Arkansas $3.218 Missouri $3.169 Kentucky $2.715 Mississippi State $2.682 Mississippi $2.596 Houston $2.113 Big 12 (in millions of dollars) Oklahoma $4.077 Texas $3.841 West Virginia $2.884 Oklahoma State $2.837 Kansas State $2.813 Texas Tech $2.155 Houston $2.113 Iowa State $2.110 Kansas $2.105 Source: USA Today, Houston Chronicle research "I think it's no mistake that at some point we aspire to be in a Power 5 conference," Herman said this week to a group of UH supporters at the Touchdown Club of Houston luncheon. read more: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/article/Football-coaching-staff-s-pay-part-of-UH-s-6416369.php I like this quote: