The top names in Ohio State athletics were compensated well in the last calendar year.
According to a report from Sheridan Hendrix of The Columbus Dispatch, Ryan Day, Chris Holtmann, Gene Smith and Jim Knowles claimed the top-four spots on a list of the top-15 highest-paid employees at Ohio State in 2022, which also featured several names from the Wexner Medical Center and a few in administration. However, university president Kristina Johnson's salary did not reach the threshold.
| RANK | NAME | TITLE | DEPARTMENT | REGULAR PAY | GROSS PAY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RYAN DAY | FOOTBALL HEAD COACH | ATHLETICS | 1,770,833 | 8,021,377 |
| 2 | CHRIS HOLTMANN | MEN'S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH | ATHLETICS | 797,590 | 3,108,721 |
| 3 | GENE SMITH | ATHLETIC DIRECTOR | ATHLETICS | 1,595,800 | 2,672,800 |
| 4 | JIM KNOWLES | FOOTBALL DC, LINEBACKERS COACH | ATHLETICS | 1,900,000 | 2,105,974 |
| 5 | VISHNU SRINIVASAN | VP AND CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER IN INVESTMENTS | UNIVERSITY | 757,500 | 1,826,263 |
| 6 | MARK LARMORE | FORMER WEXNER CFO, VP FOR HEALTH SCIENCES | HEALTH SYSTEM | 947,645 | 1,691,058 |
| 7 | KEVIN WILSON | FORMER FOOTBALL OC | ATHLETICS | 1,400,000 | 1,645,200 |
| 8 | MICHAEL EICHER | SENIOR VP FOR ADVANCEMENT, PRESIDENT OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | UNIVERSITY | 797,900 | 1,525,773 |
| 9 | JAY ANDERSON | WEXNER COO | UNIVERSITY | 1,112,271 | 1,468,558 |
| 10 | RUSSELL LONSER | PROFESSOR, CHAIR OF NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY | UNIVERSITY | 1,140,688 | 1,387,077 |
| 11 | LARRY JOHNSON | FOOTBALL ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH, DEFENSIVE LINE COACH | ATHLETICS | 1,133,00 | 1,332,810 |
| 12 | JAMES EIDER | DIRECTOR OF NEUROSURGICAL ONCOLOGY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN NEUROLOGICAL SURGERY | UNIVERSITY | 668,051 | 1,248,604 |
| 13 | TIMOTHY PAWLIK | WEXNER SURGEON-IN-CHIEF, CHAIR FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY | UNIVERSITY | 940,241 | 1,243,249 |
| 14 | CAROL BRADFORD | DEAN OF COLLEGE FOR MEDICINE, VP OF HEALTH SCIENCES | UNIVERSITY | 921,507 | 1,213,821 |
| 15 | ANDREW THOMAS | WEXNER CHEIF CLINICAL OFFICER, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR FOR INTERNAL MEDICINE | UNIVERSITY | 810,374 | 1,169,025 |
As Ohio State's top earner in 2022, Day received over $8 million in compensation last year.