Cornerbacks coach Mark Orphey signs contract extension
Rutgers has given a contract extension to cornerbacks coach Mark Orphey.
Rutgers cornerbacks coach Mark Orphey will remain with the program through the 2025 season after signing a contract extension. The contract extension was first reported by NJ Advance Media this afternoon. Orphey’s contract extension, which was signed on Feb. 21, increases his annual salary from $400,000 to $500,000 for the next two seasons. This is Orphey’s second contract extension in a year, as he previously received one after the end of the 2023 season.
Orphey recently completed his third season as the Scarlet Knights’ cornerbacks coach, having initially joined the program ahead of the 2022 season. Orphey has spent his entire tenure at Rutgers under defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak.
Rutgers had the No. 10-ranked passing defense in the nation last season, allowing just 176.3 yards per game through the air. The Scarlet Knights finished with the program’s best record since 2014 at 7-6, which was capped off by a Pinstripe Bowl victory over Miami in December.
During Orphey’s tenure at Rutgers, he has coached two All-Big Ten honorees in Max Melton and Christian Braswell. Braswell went on to be drafted in the sixth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars while Melton is currently preparing for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Before arriving at Rutgers, Orphey served as a senior defensive analyst under Nick Saban at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide win an SEC title before advancing to the CFP National Championship Game. Orphey was also
the secondary coach at Utah State from 2019 to 2020 and held the same role at FCS Montana State from 2017 to 2018. Orphey began his career as the cornerbacks coach at his alma mater Texas Southern in 2011, and went on to spend four years as an assistant at South Carolina from 2013 to 2016.
