When the University of Alabama lured Nick Saban away from the Miami Dolphins to be its head football coach in February, the ripples were felt out in the Pacific.

"What they did affects everybody," noted Herman Frazier, the University of Hawai'i athletic director, at the time. "Even us out here."

What the Crimson Tide did was pay a lot: an average of $4 million per season over eight years that made Saban the highest-paid college football coach in the country.

That's of no small interest at UH, where head coach June Jones' five-year contract expires June 30, 2008.

At $800,016, Jones is the lowest-paid among coaches whose teams are in this year's Associated Press or USA Today Preseason Top 25 polls. UH said half of Jones' base is paid by contributions from donors.

When Jones' last contract was in force, Saban also held the distinction of being the college salary pacesetter, though at that time (2004) it was at $2.3 million for Louisiana State.

The average salary for head coaches at "top level" NCAA schools in 2006 was $950,000 according to a USA Today survey.

Jones, who led UH to an 11-3 season in 2006 that matched the most victories in school history, has a 64-40 record with the Warriors. He is the school's winningest coach against an all-college schedule.

In July, Frazier received approval from the UH Board of Regents to raise the salary range for the position to $935,544. UH may exceed that well past the $1 million mark upon president David McClain's approval without going back to the regents.

Could UH afford a million-dollar coach? Frazier said: "I don't know what the number is. That's what we have to survey to figure out."

And where do you begin?

"You start with Alabama and work your way back," Frazier said.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.