Wisconsin football coach Paul Chryst receives raise of nearly $1 million

The Board of Regents at the University of Wisconsin approved a raise for Badgers coach Paul Chryst on Monday, per reporter Jeff Potrykus. Chryst will go from making $4.35 million to $5.25 million, an increase of $900,000.

Although the timing of the raise might seem odd, Wisconsin officials said it was originally scheduled to happen last year. However, the pandemic put financial strain on the program and the coach took a 15% pay cut. Under normal circumstances, the compensation package would have been announced in the spring of 2020.

Chryst is in his seventh year with the Badgers. He has compiled a 57-22 record during that span including wins in the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl. Wisconsin claimed Big Ten West division titles under his guidance in 2016, 2017 and 2019.

Despite entering the year at No. 12 in the preseason AP poll, Wisconsin currently sits at 1-3 and 0-2 in the Big Ten. All three of their losses thus far have come against ranked opponents. Chryst is coming off of his worst year with the team, but they still finished 4-3 in 2020.

The year is still young though, and the Badgers’ toughest days are behind them. Aside from a meeting with No. 3 Iowa on Oct. 30, they have no more games against ranked teams. They’ll seek their first conference victory against Illinois at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in Champaign.

After fighting to keep things close in the season opener against Penn State, Wisconsin suffered blowout losses to both Notre Dame and Michigan. The run game, typically among the nation’s best, has not been the same this year. It ranks 69th overall in FBS with 160.8 yards per game.

If there’s one thing the Badgers have going for them, it’s the defense. The unit currently ranks third in the nation but did give up plenty of points against the Irish and Wolverines.

Paul Chryst has naturally taken a lot of the blame for the lack of success in Wisconsin, and his raise likely won’t be received well. But his track record of four seasons with 10 or more wins suggests the low points will be temporary.