Jim Harbaugh has finally led the Michigan Wolverines to a national championship, and if he ends up staying after this season, he's going to be moving way up on the list of highest-paid coaches in college football.
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Coaching college football seems like the most stressful job on the planet. College coaches are tasked with, essentially, raising 100-plus young men flying through their college years. Every aspect of the job, from press conferences to behavior on the field, is scrutinized by everyone. If you're not performing well, it's not easy to hide, especially if you're one of the 25 highest-paid college football coaches.
When you're headed for the College Football Playoff, your body of work is met with questions like, "Is it good enough?" It's a day-in, day-out grind, and honestly, I understand why so few coaches find national championship-level success. Despite that diatribe in support of the NCAA's elite leaders, I'd happily eat the B.S. coming my way if I made the kind of money these college football coaches do.
Annually, USA Today publishes a database listing the salaries of all 133 FBS head football coaches. Based on this, we can figure out who is making the most to wear the headset on Saturdays.
It should be no surprise to see the No. 1 name resides in Tuscaloosa, as Alabama head coach Nick Saban has the rings to back up the pay. In fact, six of the top 10 salaries in the sport can be found in the SEC, where "it just means more" moolah. One thing to note here is that Mel Tucker is still on this list despite being fired by Michigan State this season.
As for Harbaugh, the Wolverines head coach didn't even make it into the top 10 this year. While there is nonstop speculation about Harbaugh returning to the NFL to coach, Michigan could try to offer a king's ransom to keep their head coach in Ann Arbor.
Despite the uncertainty of the ever-spinning coaching carousel, one thing is certain. It pays to coach college football.
25. Kyle Whittingham, Utah Utes

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Salary: $6.3 million
24. Sam Pittman, Arkansas Razorbacks
Salary: $6.4 million
23. Bret Bielema, Illinois Illini
Salary: $6.5 million
22. Hugh Freeze, Auburn Tigers
Salary: $6.5 million
21. Dan Lanning, Oregon Ducks
Salary: $6.6 million
20. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa Hawkeyes

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Salary: $7 million
19. Brent Venables, Oklahoma Sooners

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Salary: $7.1 million
18. Billy Napier, Florida Gators
Salary: $7.3 million
17. Mike Norvell, Florida State Seminoles
Salary: $7.3 million
16. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State Cowboys

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Salary: $7.6 million
15. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin Badgers
Salary: $7.6 million
14. Mario Cristobal, Miami Hurricanes

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Salary: $8 million (reported)
13. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Wolverines

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Salary: $8.3 million
12. James Franklin, Penn State Nittany Lions

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Salary: $8.5 million
11. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Rebels

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Salary: $9 million
10. Josh Heupel, Tennessee Volunteers
Salary: $9 million
9. Mark Stoops, Kentucky Wildcats

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Salary: $9.01 million
8. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M Aggies

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Salary: $9.1 million
7. Brian Kelly, LSU Tigers

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Salary: $9.9 million
6. Lincoln Riley, USC Trojans

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Salary: $10 million (estimated)
5. Mel Tucker, Michigan State Spartans

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Salary: $10 million
4. Ryan Day, Ohio State Buckeyes

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Salary: $10.3 million
3. Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs

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Salary: $10.7 million
2. Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers

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Salary: $10.9 million
1. Nick Saban, Alabama Crimson Tide

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Salary: $11.4 million