Back in October, when Oregon State’s search for a new head football coach began, athletic director Scott Barnes said the new coach’s salary would be “top of the Pac-12.”

Now that the details of new OSU coach JaMarcus Shephard’s contract are public, it’s known that will not be the case.

In fact, Shephard’s total salary in 2026 ranks near the bottom: sixth out of seven active Pac-12 head coaches.

Washington State is still in search of a new head coach after Jimmy Rogers left for Iowa State. Rogers’ 2026 salary had he stayed at WSU ($1.57 million) would have ranked just below Shephard.

Here is the full list:

1. Jim Mora, Colorado State

2026 salary: $2.4 million

Average annual value (5 years): $2.6 million

2. Spencer Danielson, Boise State

2026 salary: $2.1 million

AAV (4 years): $2.25 million

3. Bronco Mendenhall, Utah State

2026 salary: $2.06 million

AAV (5 years): $2.18 million

4. G.J. Kinne, Texas State

2026 salary: ~$2 million

AAV (6 years): $2 million

5. Sean Lewis, San Diego State

2026 salary: $1.95 million

AAV (3 years): $2.05 million

6. JaMarcus Shephard, Oregon State

2026 salary: $1.6 million

AAV (5 years): $1.75 million

7. Matt Entz, Fresno State

2026 salary: $1.35 million

AAV (4 years): $1.56 million

Shephard’s total salary is also less than previous OSU coach Trent Bray, who came in at $2 million per year. And Shephard’s assistant coach salary pool is much smaller than Bray’s, too.

Barnes, meanwhile, is far and away the highest paid athletic director in the new Pac-12, having played a pivotal role in the conference’s rebuilding over the past two years. His 2025 salary of nearly $1.18 million was at least double that of every other Pac-12 AD — and in some cases triple.

Meanwhile, the OSU athletic department finds itself having to walk back a number of assertions by Barnes in recent months. From the school’s controversial NIL partnership with Blueprint Sports, to Barnes’ public backing of Trent Bray prior to his firing, to his calling the general manager position a “misnomer” before eventually agreeing to bring in a football GM under Shephard — reportedly a sticking point in negotiations with OSU’s new coach.

All while Barnes and OSU are fighting a multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed by former men’s rowing coach Gabriel Winkler, which was recently moved to federal court in Eugene at OSU’s request.

Through an athletics spokesperson, Barnes declined to comment for this story.