The Auburn Tigers have posted a job listing for a new assistant swimming & diving coach, but nobody is leaving their staff, which was full last season.
The Tigers are the first team to publicly take action on the NCAA’s new rules about countable coaches, which eliminates the role of “volunteer assistant” but expands the number of countable coaches that programs can have.
Combined programs could previously employ a maximum of nine coaches — a head swimming coach, head diving coach, four assistants, two volunteer swimming coaches, and a volunteer diving coach. They will now have a limit of eight, though all can now be paid as opposed to just six in the past.
Volunteer swimming & diving assistant coaches have traditionally been former swimmers who have a job outside of the sport, or local club coaches who help out with collegiate programs for the added experience. Most NCAA Division I programs currently have volunteer assistants. Even if they remain “volunteers” next season, unpaid assistants will no longer have restrictions on recruiting capabilities.
Programs are not required, by the NCAA, to pay their new countable coaches, though Auburn plans to. Head coach Ryan Wochomurka says that this is part of a big planned expansion of the coaching staff that will include another full-time position and a diving assistant position for fall of 2024, which would bring the team up to its maximum eight coaches.
While other schools have discussed the possibility of expanding their roster of paid coaches, Auburn is the first program that SwimSwam has identified that has made concrete action to do so. Auburn historically is one of the best-funded swimming programs in the country.
This is one of two vacant positions for Auburn this season. Head diving coach Jeff Shaffer retired after 24 seasons with the Tigers, which included 7 NCAA titles.
The current Auburn coaching staff includes:
- Head coach – Ryan Wochomurka
- Associate head swimming coach – Vlad Polyakov
- Assistant coach – Abbie Quallen
- Assistant coach – Mike Simpson
- Assistant coach – Gideon Louw
- Graduate Assistant Coach – Molly Cassidy
- Graduate Assistant Coach – Kile Aukerman
- Volunteer Assistant Coach – Zane Grothe
If Grothe does not become the program’s new full-time assistant coach, he could still stay on with the team in a voluntary role – just with a different title and all the freedoms afforded to a full-time paid coach.
The Auburn men finished 2nd and women 7th at the 2023 SEC Championships. The women scored 14 points to finish 30th at NCAAs, while the men finished 10th with 127 points.
How many of these “new” jobs have already been promised to other coaches in waiting? What’s the real change for volunteer coaches in a state that doesn’t allow them to work less than 35 hours a week?
Getting a foot in the door just got harder in my opinion. And when Auburn hires a person who just finished their collegiate career there, you’ll see that the game hasn’t changed.
University of Utah already posted and hired under this change. Auburn isn’t the first
Where? They have 6 paid coaches right now.
Their Dir of ops used to be a coaching position
They have 5 swim coaches
2 dive coaches
Director of ops (converted from a coaching position)
But one of the dive coaches is listed as a graduate assistant?
Also…okay it used to be. But now it’s a director of ops position. That’s not the same?
It takes one of the coaching positions
“Combined programs could previously employ a maximum of nine coaches — a head swimming coach, head diving coach, four assistants, two volunteer swimming coaches, and a volunteer diving coach. They will now have a limit of eight, though all can now be paid as opposed to just six in the past.”
What are the numbers for single gender programs and what will they be now?
And what is the pay for this position? It doesn’t say in the job listing.
david marsh incoming
It’s too late for him to return. He has already started to take his pension benefits. In Alabama, returning can not happen unless he did it in a voluntary position.
Are volunteer assistant positions not what this entire article is about?
Great for Auburn, but this new rule is gonna hurt A LOT of schools who don’t have the athletic department support and/or money. I’m not just talking mid-majors etc. there are plenty of Power 5 schools who won’t be able to afford the addition of another full-time coach
SEC and B1G schools don’t have much of a reason not to with the TV money that’s coming. Obviously that doesn’t mean it will actually happen at all of those programs, money will go back into football, basketball, and administrator pockets, but you would hope a rising tide would lift all boats.
Programs can still opt to have volunteers instead of adding paid rolls as well – so every school will have the opportunity to have the full staff in some capacity. The volunteer role just typically won’t be called “volunteer assistant coach” anymore.
Great point! Although I’m sure that more “top tier” coaches will be looking for the paid positions and new coaches will be taking the unpaid roles
Mid majors will also lose good assistants to the additional power 5 positions. You can make 45k being the 5th/6th assistant at Auburn or 40k as the lone assistant at a mid major.
Also wonder how this will impact coaching salaries. Will these added positions drive average pay down and make it harder for upper level assistants get raises and pay increases?
I’d be surprised if this Auburn position is for 45, despite how well funded the team is there. It’s also a contract position, so no benefits.
Yeah, maybe not, but people were already leaving mid major positions to be volunteers at power 5s. 2-3k a month + some camp money sweetens the deal considerably.
You’ll see more mid major head coaches leave to be assistants at p5 schools for a little less money, but better situations
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Hopefully bama will take initiative and do the same… after they fire Margo, of course. Question there becomes who do the hire once Margo’s gone?
I think the options very clear. Vlad Polyakov at Auburn, not that far of a move for his family and it seems that every coaches dream is to be the head coach of their alma mater. I imagine it’s a pay upgrade too.
No way you’re going to come into a pro-auburn article and suggest that their coach will switch to a rival school. Poor taste. Guess some people were raised the wrong way….
That is Alabama for you.
Vlad probably didn’t love Auburn before he had the job given he went to Alabama, and deep down, he probably still doesn’t
Vlad was not Auburns first or second choice when he was hired.
Vlad would be perfect. He is a people person, something they have been lacking since Pursley. Being an alum is a big plus. However, it seems that the AD is set in his ways and will go down with the ship regardless how bad it gets with Margo.
Marsh