Nick Saban and Kirby Smart before the 2021 SEC Championship Game.
Kevin C. Cox via Getty Images

The 25 Highest-Paid College Football Coaches Prove it Pays to Wear the Headset


Advertisement

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 131 FBS head football coaches. Everything from a coach's maximum bonus to buyout numbers are available, but the most important number is a category titled "Total Pay." Based on this and some more extensive research, we can still figure out who is making the most to wear the headset on Saturdays.

Here are the 25 highest-paid college football coaches, their base salaries in 2022 and their record at their respective schools as of Nov. 30, 2022.

Advertisement

25. P.J. Fleck, Minnesota Golden Gophers

P.J. Fleck coaching his team against Illinois.

David Berding via Getty Images

Base salary: $5.1 million

Record: 43-27

24. Pat Narduzzi, Pitt Panthers

Pat Narduzzi coaches his team in the 2021 ACC Championship Game.

Logan Whitton via Getty Images

Base salary: $5.3 million

Record: 61-41

Advertisement

23. Steve Sarkisian, Texas Longhorns

Steve Sarkisian prepping his team before playing Iowa State.

David K Purdy via Getty Images

Base salary: $5.45 million

Record: 13-11

22. Mike Leach, Mississippi State Bulldogs

Mike Leach getting of the team bus before the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

Justin Ford via Getty Images

Base salary: $5.5 million

Record: 19-17

Advertisement

21. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern Wildcats

Pat Fitzgerald before a game against Nebraska.

Steven Branscombe via Getty Images

Base salary: $5.748 million

Record: 110-101

20. Kyle Whittingham, Utah Utes

Kyle Whittingham coaches against Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Ethan Miller via Getty Images

Base salary: $6 million

Record: 153-73

Advertisement

19. Brent Venables, Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables coaches his team during the spring game.

Brian Bahr via Getty Images

Base salary: $6.4 million

Record: 6-6

18. Hugh Freeze, Auburn Tigers

Hugh Freeze at Liberty

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Base salary: $6.5 million (reportedly)

Record: 0-0

Advertisement

T16. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz preparing to lead his team onto the field against Nebraska.

Steven Branscombe via Getty Images

RELATED: The "Iowa Wave" is College Football's Most Inspiring Tradition

Base salary: $7 million

Record: 185-115

T16. James Franklin, Penn State Nittany Lions

James Franklin gets his team ready before a game against Michigan.

Scott Taetsch via Getty Images

Base salary: $7 million

Advertisement

Record: 77-36

15. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan Wolverines

Jim Harbaugh celebrating Michigan winning the Big 10 Championship.

Justin Casterline via Getty Images

Base salary: $7.05 million

Record: 73-24

14. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Rebels

Lane Kiffin high fives one of his players in the 2022 Sugar Bowl.

Jonathan Bachman via Getty Images

Base salary: $7.25 million

Advertisement

Record: 23-12

T12. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State Cowboys

Mike Gundy coaches the Oklahoma State Cowboys against Texas Tech.

John E. Moore III via Getty Images

Base salary: $7.5 million

Record: 156-74

T12. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin Badgers

Head coach Luke Fickell of the Cincinnati Bearcats stands on the sidelines during the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide

Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images

Base salary: $7.5 million (reportedly)

Advertisement

Record: 0-0

11. Mario Cristobal, Miami Hurricanes

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal speaks at a basketball game.

Samuel Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

RELATED: Mario Cristobal's Miami Renaissance Would Make College Football Infinitely Better

Base salary: $8 million

Record: 5-7

Advertisement

10. David Shaw, Stanford Cardinal

David Shaw before he leads his team onto the field vs. Cal.

David Madison via Getty Images

Base salary: $8.925 million

Record: 96-54 (resigned at end of 2022 season)

T8. Mark Stoops, Kentucky Wildcats

Mark Stoops coaches his team against New Mexico State.

Andy Lyons via Getty Images

Base salary: $9 million (reportedly)

Record: 66-58

Advertisement

T8. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M Aggies

Jimbo Fisher coaches against Arkansas.

Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Base salary: $9 million

Record: 39-21

T5. Ryan Day, Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State coach Ryan Day reacts to a play against Penn State.

Emilee Chinn via Getty Images

Base salary: $9.5 million

Record: 45-5

Advertisement

T5. Mel Tucker, Michigan State Spartans

Mel Tucker coaching a game against Ohio State.

Emilee Chinn via Getty Images

Base salary: $9.5 million

Record: 18-14

T5. Brian Kelly, LSU Tigers

Brian Kelly coaching LSU during the 2022 Spring Game.

John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Base salary: $9.5 million

Record: 9-3

Advertisement

4. Lincoln Riley, USC Trojans

Lincoln Riley coaches during the USC Spring Game in 2022.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea via Getty Images

Base salary: $10-plus million (estimated)

Record: 11-1

3. Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs

Kirby Smart after Georgia won the 2022 CFP National Championship.

Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

RELATED: Kirby Smart's New 10-Year, $112.5 Million Contract Extension Puts Him in Rare Company

Base salary: $10.25 million

Advertisement

Record: 78-15

2. Dabo Swinney, Clemson Tigers

Dabo Swinney coaches in a game against Wake Forest.

Jacob Kupferman via Getty Images

Base salary: $10.5 million

Record: 160-38

1. Nick Saban, Alabama Crimson Tide

Nick Saban is the highest-paid college football coach in 2022 for Alabama.

Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Base salary: $10.7 million

Advertisement

Record: 193-27

That's right. Alabama's main man is college football's deserved top earner. He signed yet another contract extension that will pay him an average of $11.7 million in annual salary over the next eight years, meaning he'll be competing for national championships in Tuscaloosa until he's 78. Saban's new deal came barely a month after Georgia's Kirby Smart was awarded a 10-year, $112 million deal that made him the highest-paid coach in college football for a hot second.

As coaches come and go between the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12, Pac-12 and even NFL, this list constantly changes. LSU poached Brian Kelly from Notre Dame and paid him a pretty penny. USC did the same thing with Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma. In the midst of all this, Michigan State's Mel Tucker, Penn State's James Franklin and Ohio State's Ryan Day inked new, lucrative deals to stay at their respective schools. Mario Cristobal also left Oregon to take the job at his alma mater, the University of Miami. The Ducks replaced him with former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning, who didn't make the list but made $4.6 million this year. Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin received a significant pay raise after leading the Rebels to a 10-3 record in 2021, too.

Despite the uncertainty of the coaching carousel, one thing is certain. It pays to coach college football.

Advertisement

This post will be updated as more information is available.

MORE: The 5 Active College Football Head Coaches With National Titles

Related Videos