University of Maryland coaches and administrators ranked as the highest-paid state employees in 2024, according to payroll data from the Comptroller of Maryland that The Baltimore Sun obtained through a public information request.

College coaches tend to be the highest-paid state government workers in most states, and Maryland mirrored that trend.

The data includes regular, overtime and other earnings for 166,835 unique names across 180,009 entries (more than one entry sometimes appeared for individuals who may have worked for more than one organization or as a contract and government employee).

Maryland’s state government paid $8.84 billion to workers, including contract employees, an increase of 12% over 2023.

The University of Maryland employed most of the top 10 earners. Michael A. Locksley, the university’s head football coach, topped the list, earning $6 million, including $597,000 in regular pay and $5.4 million in “other” compensation.

Locksley was highest paid for the second consecutive year, with gross pay up from $5.68 million in 2023.

Public university football coaches are often the highest-paid employee for most states.

Locksley was followed by the university’s men’s and women’s basketball coaches and defensive coordinator for football.

The highest-paid employee after sports coaches was Jay Perman, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, for the second year in a row. Perman earned $1.29 million, including $1.22 million in regular pay and $77,000 in other compensation. He had earned $1.22 million in 2023.

Salaries have gone up for university presidents and chancellors as they have become increasingly responsible for wooing more donors and students

Six of the top 10 earners worked in University of Maryland athletics, including Damon Evans, the university’s director of athletics, who moved up and into the top 10 in 2024 with $1.13 million in gross pay.

Those six in athletics also included former men’s basketball head coach Mark Turgeon. The former coach had abruptly left the university during the Terps 2021-22 basketball season and was part of a $5.7 million buyout in 2022. He received $1.23 million in 2023 and last year was paid $1.25 million.

Maryland’s basketball coaches ranked high on the list, retaining second and third place from 2023.

Kevin S. Willard, the men’s coach, was paid $4.08 million, including $498,000 in regular earnings and $3.58 million in other earnings, up from $4.04 million in 2023, while Brenda S. Frese, women’s coach, earned $2.33 million.

Frese’s gross salary, which include $739,000 in regular pay and $1.59 million in other pay, bumped up from a gross of $2.04 million in 2023.

A neurosurgeon, a dean and the president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore rounded out the top 10 earners list.

Charles A. Sansur, a neurosurgeon at the University of Maryland Medical System and a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, earned $1.14 million in gross pay.

Mark T. Gladwin, the dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the university’s vice president for medical affairs, was paid $1.03 million, including $1 million in regular earnings and $25,000 in other earnings.

And Bruce E. Jarrell, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, earned $1.03 million.

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