We're about midway through the college football season. Contenders are starting to emerge from the pack and early surprise teams may begin falling back to Earth (or, occasionally, they keep pleasantly surprising us). We've also had plenty of big plays, wacky moments, and fun quotes. Head coaches have navigated their teams to success — or a lack thereof — and been strong presences on the sidelines.
While players can now earn money through name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, they're not making as much as the top coaches around the country. Here are the ten highest-paid coaches in college football, starting with a familiar face.
Note that these are the highest-paid coaches at public schools. Private schools don't have to release salary information. A coach like USC's Lincoln Riley may be among the top-ten earners, but we won't know for sure — though it's fun to speculate that his contract includes stipulations like a new LA home and unlimited private jet usage.
Alabama's Nick Saban and Georgia's Kirby Smart (Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
Nick Saban, Alabama — $11.407 million
The highest-paid coach in college football is also perhaps the most successful. Since coming to Tuscaloosa in 2007, Nick Saban has led Alabama to eight SEC titles and six national championships. Saban has also won the Walter Camp Coach of the Year award twice. By those lofty standards, the Crimson Tide are having a mild downturn this year, losing an early game at home to Texas before struggling with USF. But it usually backfires to bet against Saban, so expect Alabama to once again be in the running for the college football playoff.
Dabo Swinney, Clemson — $10.884 million
Dabo Swinney took over as Clemson's head coach midway through the 2008 season and quickly built a winning program. The Tigers have won at least 10 games since 2011, although that streak could be in a bit of jeopardy this year with the team's rocky start. Still, Clemson won championships in 2016 and 2018, and the school rewarded him with a new contract last fall that will pay Swinney $115 million through 2031.
Kirby Smart, Georgia — $10.705 million
Kirby Smart was briefly the highest-paid coach in college football, but the latest deals for Saban and Swinney bumped him down to third. Yet he's had the most recent success, with Georgia winning national championships in both 2021 and 2022 — including one against Saban and Alabama in 2021. Since being named his alma mater's coach at the end of 2015, Smart has never had a losing season, and his Bulldogs have an 8-2 record in bowl games.
Ryan Day, Ohio State — $10.271 million
Ryan Day served as acting head coach for three games in the 2018 season before then-head coach Urban Meyer returned from administrative leave. The following season, Day took over full-time as head coach and Ohio State has been a terrific team since. The school had an undefeated regular season in 2019 and reached the College Football Playoff in both 2019 and 2020, and the Buckeyes have never finished a season ranked lower than 6th during Day's tenure. Day may also appreciate that he makes about $2 million more than Michigan's Jim Harbaugh ($8.254 million). That Buckeyes/Wolverines rivalry runs deep.
Mel Tucker, Michigan State — $10.015 million
Mel Tucker signed a record-setting deal with Michigan State just two years ago. The $95 million contract over ten seasons was the largest ever for a Black head coach. Yet Tucker has been dismissed from the school amid sexual harassment allegations from Brenda Tracy, a rape survivor and activist who Tucker had hired to educate his players on sexual violence and consent. Tucker was still owed about $79 million of his contract and is attempting to recoup some or all of that money while the university is trying to prove it has just cause in firing him. We'll likely see an extended legal battle here.
Brian Kelly, LSU — $9.975 million
After over a decade with Notre Dame, Brian Kelly took the head coaching gig at LSU in November 2021. His salary more than tripled as a result. The Tigers have won three national championships this century (most recently in 2019), so Kelly is dealing with high expectations from the school. He's only in his second season, but he hopes to replicate the success he had at Notre Dame, which included an appearance in the BCS National Championship Game in 2013 and two College Football Playoff appearances in 2018 and 2020.
Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M — $9.15 million
Jimbo Fisher won a national title with Florida State in 2014. When Texas A&M signed him to a massive deal, they were hoping for similar success. It hasn't happened yet. Outside of a solid 2020 season (which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the Aggies have had at least four losses every season, including a 5-7 finish — Fisher's first losing record since joining the program — in 2022. In fact, Fisher has lost as many games at College Station as he did during his entire Florida State tenure, despite 40 fewer games with the Aggies. He could be hard to fire, though, thanks to a $76.8 million buyout.
Mark Stoops, Kentucky — $9.013 million
The Stoops family has an impressive college football history — Bob Stoops coached at Oklahoma, Mike Stoops served as Arizona head coach before joining Kentucky as an assistant, and Ron Jr. was a Youngstown State assistant. But it's Mark Stoops who's had the most recent success, turning the Kentucky Wildcats into somewhat of a national powerhouse. They started this season 5-0 before getting thumped by Georgia, though there are still signs of progress. And at 71-60 as of this writing, Stoops is the winningest coach in Kentucky program history.
Josh Huepel, Tennessee — $9 million
In his first season as a college football coach, Josh Heupel and the UCF Knights went 12-1, their only loss coming in the Fiesta Bowl. While Heupel hasn't quite returned to those heights, he's finished with a winning record every season. He joined Tennessee in January 2021, and the Volunteers finished 2022 ranked No. 6 in the nation with an 11-2 record and an Orange Bowl victory. Earlier this year, Heupel signed an extension through 2029 that will pay him $9 million per season.
Lane Kiffin, Mississippi — $9 million
Lane Kiffin has bounced around plenty during his coaching career. After working as a USC assistant, he served as head coach of the then-Oakland Raiders. When he returned to the collegiate ranks, he had stops in Tennessee, USC (this time as a head coach), and Florida Atlantic before signing with Ole Miss in December 2019. In three-plus seasons with the Rebels, he's won two-thirds of his games. He's already spent more time as a head coach at Ole Miss than he has with any other school, and he's gotten a hefty pay raise each year.
