ChantRant

Leonard Hamilton takes home a big pay check, but is he underpaid?

Leonard Hamilton guided the Seminoles to this year's Sweet Sixteen. But when it comes to paydays, the FSU coach isn't among the top 16 coaches' salaries.

USA Today published some eye-opening dollar figures -- total salaries, not including bonuses -- of most of the 68 coaches in this year's tournament. Here's how Hamilton stacks up among many of his peers. Note: Hamilton’s maximum potential bonus is $575,000 and only $3500 of his total salary comes from non-university compensation.

1. Rick Pitino, Louisville                    $7,532,378*
2. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke                $4,195,519
3. John Calipari, Kentucky                $3,917,000
4. Bill Self, Kansas                               $3,615,656
5. Billy Donovan, uf***                       $3,575,400
6. Tom Izzo, Mich. St.                         $3,565,000
7. Thad Matta, Ohio St.                      $2,649,000
8. Sean Miller, Arizona                       $2,305,805
9. Jim Calhoun, Connecticut              $2,300,000
10. Rick Barnes, Texas                         $2,200,000
11. Ben Howland, UCLA                    $2,010,000
12. John Thompson, Georgetown     $1,829,757
13. Bob Huggins, West Va.                 $1,810,000
14. Jay Wright, Villanova                    $1,803,397
15. Bo Ryan, Wisconsin                       $1,785,865
16. John Beilein, Michigan                  $1,763,820
17. Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt           $1,710,742
18. Roy Williams, No. Carolina          $1,655,000
19. Mark Turgeon, Texas A&M          $1,605,750
20. Bruce Weber, Illinois                      $1,505,500
21. Leonard Hamilton                         $1,503,500
45. Shaka Smart, VCU**                          $424,000

*Pitino’s salary is far greater than all other coaches due to a $3.6 million one-time bonus in July, 2010, paid for completion of a 3-year portion of his contract.

**Smart’s maximum bonus ($427,794) is actually greater than his salary.

***All of Donovan’s salary is from university compensation, with none from non-university sources.

The salaries of ten coaches in the final 68 were not released by their schools.

Adam Tolliver's five goals for FSU this spring

We asked Examiner columnist Adam Tolliver for his list of things the Seminoles need to achieve this spring to have a killer fall. It's hard to argue with these.

1. Get EJ Manuel comfortable and settled: This may seem like a no brainer to many, but Manuel's confidence and psyche will be a huge factor in the success of this football team in 2011. It isn't uncommon for the hotshot QB that everyone has been waiting for, to somewhat falter under pressure and yes that applies to those with situational playing experience prior to starting. Manuel is stepping into a role of unquestioned leader of the Seminole football team and it would be absolutely huge if he were able to cement himself within the offense so that FSU isn't limited in the fall.

2. Establish a consistent reliable offensive threat: Particularly at the WR position. For a while now, FSU has had guys that are capable and athletically gifted, but haven't had that one guy that can be expected to play at a minimum level of solid play each week. Last season there were games in which seemingly every receiver had an off day. Other times, there was no telling which one of the bunch would step up and tease you with a great performance before disappearing in the following weeks. This Spring, at least one of the dynamic talents among the receiving corps should develop into a reliable threat.

3. Kick up the defensive intensity: 2010 was the Seminoles' first year under defensive coordinator Mark Stoops. At times it can be lost on people, just how significant a full year of live playing experience can be for a unit under a new coordinator. FSU took its lumps last season without question. Much of that was related to a lack of familiarity and comfort within the brand new scheme. The natural next step would be to expect to see players look more natural and play and react at a much faster pace than last season. The comfort should be evident when the Seminoles take the field for the Spring game on April 16th.

4. Safety Progression: There's no secret that the safety position is probably the most cause for concern for FSU based on last season...