Former Indiana defensive coordinator Brian Knorr is making $500 a month as an Ohio State assistant

While Tom Allen’s off to a hot start back home in Indiana, the man he replaced will be on the opposite locker room this week as the Hoosiers head to Columbus to take on 2nd-ranked Ohio State at 3:30pm on ESPN Saturday.

Brian Knorr, Indiana’s former defensive coordinator fired after the 2015 season, will be on the sidelines for the Buckeyes as a quality control assistant. And right now, he’s only making $500 a month for his contributions.

What is a quality control assistant? Well, great question, mostly whatever you’d like them to be. The big programs use them as an extra set of eye balls in the film room and conference rooms in game planning — but not during practice and games, as the NCAA only allows 9 full-time assistants and 4 grad-assistants on the field.

Here’s Doug Lesmerises from Cleveland.com:

This is another bonus for the moneyed powerhouses of college football, the ability to hire veteran coaches into roles originally designed for young coaches on the way up. Coaches without jobs looking to stay in the game will take those assignments to tread water for a year or two, learn the secrets of a successful program, and wait for the next big chance.

It's kind of like the swag bags at the Oscars -- free stuff for the rich.

Places like Ohio State and Alabama, which pioneered the practice a few years ago, get some veteran minds game-planning and breaking down film. Former USC head coach Steve Sarkisian was hired by Alabama as an "analyst" in September, just the latest big name to take a low-level job to get near to Nick Saban.

Knorr and former Browns assistant and University of Kentucky head Joker Phillips were the two veteran quality control assistant additions to the Ohio State staff this year.

"It's very unique to have that kind of experience to help you," Meyer told cleveland.com in July soon after the hires were announced.

Ohio State won’t need too much extra help against the Hoosiers, but you can bet Knorr will be more involved in gameplanning this week than in others for the Buckeyes.