It's not a commentary on his actuall performance as HC at UT, but rather whether or not the $16 million dollars that he has been paid, has returned commensurate dividends on the field.
IMHO, measure his value
off the field to determine if he's overpaid. Anybody can see what he's done rebuilding the program and the culture from the ground up.
But
each year his program generates $18.6 million just in state and local tax revenues!
According to a 2015-16 study, the impact of U.T.'s footbal program was $347 million for the state and $355.7 million locally.
From a Chattanooga Times Free Press article:
"...visitor spending for home football games contributes more than $292 million an average of $42 million per home game to the state's economy, with Tennessee residents spending $140 per day and out-of-state visitors forking out $308 per day to attend home games.
According to survey results conducted during the 2015 football season, 25 percent of fans attending home games live outside of Tennessee and about 70 percent live outside of Knoxville.
In terms of the local economic impact, visitor spending for home football games includes $40.4 million on hotels, $28 million on retail food and beverage and $30.7 million for restaurants, according to the study.
... The study includes the athletic department's operational budget of $145 million."
No other person effects that economic impact as much as the head coach. Has CBJ's salary been a good investment off the field? ...in the locker room? ...in the post-Kiffin/Dooley chapter of the history of Big Orange Football? I don't think anyone can reasonably doubt those.
But if the question is how much of other people's money are fans are willing to see spent to satisfy their individual expectations... well, even that generates income (hopefully) for volnation.com! :compute:
