This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Football is a numbers game, not only on the field, but in the coaches' box too. The Aggies, who are searching for both an offensive and defensive coordinator, may have to look at giving their coaches substantial raises to stay competitive.

For instance, Todd Orlando made $214,893 as the defensive coordinator for the 2014-15 season and Kevin McGiven made $187,501 as the offensive coordinator, according to school records.

That might sound like more than a decent salary for "normal" folks, but not when it comes to coaching. In comparison, Josh Heupel, who is thought to be the leading candidate for the offensive coordinator's position, made $605,000 last year at Oklahoma.

Kevin Clune, the former Aggies linebackers coach for five season who left to become the defensive coordinator at Hawaii last January, is one of the top candidates for the defensive coordinator position with the Aggies. He made $160,000 as the Warriors' defensive coordinator last year.

So can the Aggies woo him away? How much is that Hawaiian sunshine worth?

We should know soon what Clune, Heupel and USU coach Matt Wells will do.

The annual American Football Coaches Association convention starts Sunday in Louisville, Ky., and historically a lot of deals, interviews, et cetera, are made at the affair. You can bet Wells will be busy working his contacts there.

Question is, can the Aggies dig deep enough into their pockets to land the guys Wells wants?

— Lya Wodraska