As television revenue increases for conferences and the NCAA, and demand increases for schools to compete for national championships, salaries for the head coaches are skyrocketing.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 25 highest-paid coaches in college football
Nick Saban is now college football's highest-paid coach.
This year we have a new highest-paid coach in college football as Nick Saban has taken the top spot back from Jim Harbaugh.
Usingdata collected by USA Today and other sources, here are the highest-paid college football coaches for the 2017 season. You can see the full list at USA Today.
25. Jim Mora — $3.6 million
ADVERTISEMENT
School: UCLA
Conference: Pac-12
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know: Mora was recently fired by UCLA and could be replaced by Chip Kelly.
ADVERTISEMENT
24. Kyle Whittingham — $3.7 million
School: Utah
Conference: Pac-12
Potential Bonus:
ADVERTISEMENT
One thing to know: same position at his alma mater, BYU
23. Kirby Smart — $3.8 million
School: Georgia
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus:
ADVERTISEMENT
One thing to know:
22. Mark Stoops — $3.8 million
School: Kentucky
Conference: SEC
ADVERTISEMENT
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know: Stoops is part of the Hayden Fry coaching tree, one of the most prolific coaching trees in college football history. Stoops played for Fry at Iowa and later served as a graduate assistant under Fry for his first coaching position.
21. Bobby Petrino — $3.9 million
School: Louisville
ADVERTISEMENT
Conference: ACC
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know:
20. Butch Jones — $4.1 million
ADVERTISEMENT
School: Tennessee
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know: Jones was recently fired by Tennessee. extension at the end of the 2014 season
ADVERTISEMENT
19. Chris Petersen — $4.1 million
School: Washington
Conference: Pac-12
Potential Bonus:
ADVERTISEMENT
One thing to know:
18. Mike Gundy — $4.2 million
School: Oklahoma State
Conference: Big 12
Potential Bonus:
ADVERTISEMENT
One thing to know: Pickens said
17. Bret Bielema — $4.2 million
School: Arkansas
Conference: SEC
ADVERTISEMENT
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know: extension prior to the 2015 season that will go through the 2020 season
16. Mark Dantonio — $4.4 million
School: Michigan State
ADVERTISEMENT
Conference: Big Ten
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know:
15. Jim McElwain — $4.5 million
ADVERTISEMENT
School: Florida
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know:
ADVERTISEMENT
14. Dan Mullen — $4.5 million
School: Mississippi State
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus:
ADVERTISEMENT
One thing to know:
13. Kirk Ferentz — $4.5 million
School: Iowa
Conference: Big Ten
Potential Bonus:
ADVERTISEMENT
One thing to know: college coaches are gone within their first five seasons at a school
12. James Franklin — $4.6 million
School: Penn State
Conference: Big Ten
ADVERTISEMENT
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know:
11. Gus Malzahn — $4.7 million
School: Auburn
ADVERTISEMENT
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know:
10. Kevin Sumlin — $5.0 million
ADVERTISEMENT
School: Texas A&M
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know: Sumlin is expected to be fired before the end of the season, which would make him the fourth coach on this list to lose his job this season.
ADVERTISEMENT
9. Gary Patterson — $5.1 million
School: Texas Christian
Conference: Big 12
Potential Bonus:
ADVERTISEMENT
One thing to know:
8. Tom Herman — $5.5 million
School: Texas
Conference: Big 12
Potential Bonus:
ADVERTISEMENT
One thing to know: Herman is just in his third year as a head coach and just his first in a Power-5 conference. However, he turned Houston into one of the best programs outside of the Power-5 conferences and now has Texas looking like they are heading back in the right direction.
7. David Shaw — $5.7 million
School: Stanford
Conference: Pac-12
ADVERTISEMENT
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know:
6. Jimbo Fisher — $5.7 million
School: Florida State
ADVERTISEMENT
Conference: ACC
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know: Before becoming head coach at Florida State, Fisher learned under some notable head coaches, serving as an assistant for Bobby Bowden, Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Terry Bowden at different times. Things might have been much different for Fisher if the University of Alabama board of trustees did not reject his contract to become head coach at Alabama-Birmingham in 2007. Nowadays,Fisher says he is glad they did.
5. Rich Rodriguez — $6.0 million
ADVERTISEMENT
School: Arizona
Conference: Pac-12
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know: Rodriguez is the highest-paid coach in the Pac-12 despite winning more than eight games just once in his first five seasons at the school.
ADVERTISEMENT
4. Urban Meyer — $6.4 million
School: Ohio State
Conference: Big Ten
Potential Bonus:
ADVERTISEMENT
One thing to know:
3. Jim Harbaugh — $7.0 million
School: Michigan
Conference: Big Ten
Potential Bonus:
ADVERTISEMENT
One thing to know: Of Harbaugh's salary, $2.0 million annually is in the form of an insurance-premium payment by the school on a life insurance policy in Harbaugh's name. According to the Detroit Free-Press, the school gets its money back without interest when Harbaugh dies. However, the
2. Dabo Swinney — $8.5 million
School: Clemson
Conference: ACC
ADVERTISEMENT
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know:
1. Nick Saban — $11.1 million
School: Alabama
ADVERTISEMENT
Conference: SEC
Potential Bonus:
One thing to know: S$3 million mortgage on his house paid off by a foundation backed by University of Alabama boosters
Now check out which NFL players have made the most in their careers.
ADVERTISEMENT
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng
ADVERTISEMENT