Because Vanderbilt is a private institution, the school does not have to publicly release the pay of its employees. Due to that fact, the salaries of their football coaches are often difficult to come by.

Thankfully Adam Sparks of the Tennesseean has found a way around that by asking for tax return information. The results of Sparks’ findings show the Commodores paid a hefty price to go winless in the SEC back in 2014.

In Mason’s first season in Nashville he registered $2,556,877 in total pay on his tax return, which equals out to $852,292.33 per win on the field. For reference, Mason’s predecessor James Franklin was paid $1,842,771 in 2011 and won six games and took the Commodores to a bowl game.

While his first season was a total disaster, Vanderbilt drastically improved in Mason’s second season, as the team won two SEC games however only won an additionally game overall and finished with a 4-8 record in 2015.

The pressure to win at Vanderbilt certainly doesn’t matchup with any other school in the league, but considering the return for their investment at the moment, any talk of Mason being on the hot seat in 2016 appears to be validated judging on his current level of compensation.

While he may have a fatter wallet than when he arrived, if the Commodores can’t turn it around on offense this season, Mason may be looking for other work at a reduced rate in the near future.