USC board will consider big raise for Johnson Gamecocks' defensive boss would double his salary

USC defensive chief Ellis Johnson is in line for a significant raise. Johnson and USC officials have discussed a contract extension that would add two years to Johnson’s current deal and double his salary, the chairman of USC’s board of trustees said Tuesday. The proposed extension calls for Johnson to receive a four-year deal worth $700,000 a year, chairman Miles Loadholt said. The contract is pending approval by the board’s executive committee, which is scheduled to meet Feb. 11. Johnson, the Gamecocks’ assistant head coach for defense, has two years remaining on his current contract, worth $350,000 annually. If approved, the new deal would be in line with the lucrative contracts offered to coordinators at other SEC schools this offseason. New Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham received a three-year deal worth $750,000 a year. Tennessee reportedly made a similar offer to Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, who received a $575,000-a-year deal to stay at Clemson, according to reports. The 58-year-old Johnson also was contacted about the Tennessee opening, as well as the head-coaching vacancy at Louisiana Tech. Johnson did not immediately return a phone message Tuesday. USC’s defense has ranked in the top four in the SEC and the top 15 nationally in Johnson’s first two years with the Gamecocks.