By now, you’ve probably heard that Oklahoma strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt is leaving to take the same position at Texas A&M. He will join new TAMU head coach Jimbo Fisher who recently came over from Florida State on a fully guaranteed 10-year, $75 million deal.

It appears A&M athletic director Scott Woodward and the Aggies are committed to spending big in order to comprise the best staff money can buy. Schmidt made $339,000 before bonuses this past season at OU according to USA Today. That figure ranked 15th nationally.

SoonerScoop.com’s Carey Murdock is reporting that Schmidt is set to receive a nice pay raise.

From talking to sources within #Sooners athletic department, it is believed Schmidt will come close to Iowa’s Chris Doyle as one of the highest paid S&C coaches in the country. He made $339K this year at OU.

— Carey Murdock (@CareyWWLS) January 10, 2018

Doyle made $675,000 this past season to lead the nation for strength and conditioning coaches. Within the Big 12, Schmidt was the third-highest paid behind Oklahoma State’s Rob Glass and Texas’ Yancy McKnight. Glass and McKnight each earned $425,000 before bonuses.

It will be interesting to follow which direction OU head football coach Lincoln Riley takes in making this strength and conditioning coach hire. Who comes into Norman to replace Schmidt?

This next hire is critical for Riley and the direction of OU football moving forward. Strength and conditioning coaches set the foundation for a football program and Schmidt set that standard every season dating back to 1999.