It doesn’t pay to be an Ole Miss assistant.

Literally.

The total salary for Ole Miss assistant coaches currently ranks among the worst in the SEC, but athletic director Ross Bjork hopes to change that.

According to the most recent data available from USA TODAY’s database of football coaches’ salaries, the Rebels’ nine assistants made $2,596,000 last season, which ranks dead last among the 13 public SEC schools (Vanderbilt is a private institution, so it’s not required to complete open records requests made for coaching salaries).

That figure isn’t good for retention with the amount of turnover at SEC schools.

However, the only two assistants to leave the school since coach Hugh Freeze took over the program in 2013 are former linebackers coach Tom Allen and former co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach Wesley McGriff.

“We’ve only lost two staff members in the last three offseasons,” said athletic director Ross Bjork, according to The Clarion-Ledger. “That’s a testament that we’re doing the right things, that we have a great culture. All the credit goes to coach Freeze. He sets the standard to operate at a super high level.”

Bjork says he wants to bring the assistants’ salaries to a “competitive range,” but playing in the most competitive division in college football makes matters difficult. LSU and Alabama rank first and second in the country in dishing out the dough to their assistants with $5,499,269 and $5,213,400, respectively, and Auburn ($4,370,000) isn’t far behind in fourth.

Here’s a look at the 13 public SEC schools and how they rank in salaries for assistant coaches:

1. LSU — $5,499,269
2. Alabama — $5,213,400
3. Auburn — $4,370,000
4. Texas A&M — $3,484,050
5. South Carolina — $3,333,800
6. Georgia — $3,327,800
7. Tennessee — $3,265,000
8. Florida — $3,225,900
9. Arkansas — $3,218,800
10. Missouri — $3,218,800
11. Kentucky — $2,715,700
12. Mississippi State — $2,682,500
13. Ole Miss — $2,596,000