Who Are The Highest-Paid College Football Coaches?
Credit: Image Credit: Chris Graythen/Staff / Getty Images SportData Summary
Coach Nick Saben from the University of Alabama was the highest-paid college football coach in the 2023 contract season.[1]- Collectively, the five highest-paid college football coaches made over $53 million this year.Note Reference [1]
- On average, the top five highest-paid NCAA college football coaches each make $10.66 million per year.Note Reference [1]
- Kirby Smart, head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs, collected the highest bonus of the highest-paid coaches, bringing in an extra $1.35 million in incentives this year.Note Reference [1]
- Teams led by the highest-paid coaches in college football brought in nearly $545 million this year.[2]
The first college football game of the 2023-2024 season kicks off on August 26 — but who’s counting? Teams will start their journeys toward conference titles, bowl game wins, and the ultimate prize: a College Football Playoff (CFP) national championship.
While the players take the field, coaches lead from the sidelines, bringing home some of the biggest paychecks in college athletics.
Each year, USA Today Sports requests head coach compensation forms from all 131 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision.Note Reference [1] Find out just how much each of the top five highest-paid coaches in college football earns and why success on the field can dictate a coach’s salary.
Highest-Paying Coach Salaries
College Football Coach Salary vs. Revenue
Even though colleges do not always make money from athletics, high-achieving football programs in large conferences rake in a ton of profit. Revenue combines contributions from alumni, sports camps, state and government support, ticket sales, and signage and other sponsorships.Note Reference [2]
- Since the 1800s, football has by far been the top-earning college sport.[3]
- On average, a university will bring in more revenue from football than it will from the next 35 most-profitable sports combined.[4]
- The universities with the highest-paid coaches in college football collectively made over $543 million in the 2021-2022 season.Note Reference [2]
- Even after factoring in team expenses, from equipment to recruitment efforts, coaches are still paid out in a big way.
| Coach | School Pay | Total Team Revenue | Salary as Percent of Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | $10.51 | $155.95 | 6.74% |
| Alabama | $11.11 | $127.6 | 8.71% |
| Ohio State | $10.20 | $109.18 | 9.34% |
| Michigan State | $10.02 | $95.11 | 10.54% |
| Clemson | $10.76 | $68.91 | 15.61% |
Coaching Bonuses and Incentives
A college football coach typically has a unique contract that lays out the base salary, supplemental compensation — essentially, the money a coach can make from using their name, image, or likeness for sponsorship deals or apparel contracts — and last but not least, bonuses and incentives.[5]
There are hundreds of different ways a coach can earn bonuses. Coaches can earn extra cash for bowl game appearances and wins, coach of the year recognition, increases in game attendance or season ticket purchases, and even team academic performance.Note Reference [5]
For example, if Nick Saban, head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, wins the SEC championship, he will make an additional $125,000.[6] If Brian Kelly’s LSU Tigers score a high enough Academic Progress Rate (APR), he can cash in an additional $50,000.[7] And if Mel Tucker’s team brought home the national championship trophy, he would rake in an extra $500,000.[8]
But even the highest-paid college football coaches are only actually making a fraction of their potential bonuses.
Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, earned the highest bonus of any college football coach this season at $2.2 million. Kirby Smart ranked second, and Utah’s Kyle Wittingham ranked third for highest bonuses.Note Reference [1]