Who are the highest paid college football coaches? College football coaches are some of the most highly paid and powerful people in the world of academia and sports in general. The ten highest paid college football coaches make more money than 70% of their NFL counterparts. There are only two NFL coaches who make more money than the #1 highest paid college football coach, and that same coach is paid more than bottom four NFL coach's salaries COMBINED. But how much do the top college coaches make per year today? Scroll down to see the most recent figures for over 50 active coaches…
Nick Saban / Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
College football coaches are an interesting breed. In addition to being very rich and highly paid, college coaches often wield extreme power and influence over their institution. In fact, college coaches wield significantly more power than an NFL coach has over his franchise. This power imbalance exists because of the nature of college sports. A college coach is responsible for recruiting and grooming young talent for successful future professional careers. Attracting highly talented players allows a school to reap the huge financial benefits of having a winning team. In 2011, football revenues for the University of Texas were $94 million which equated to nearly $70 million in profits for the school. Moreover, a single bad choice by a high school prospect can be the difference between playing in the NFL and watching the NFL. By the time a player reaches the NFL, the actual coach he plays for has very little impact on his future career. No matter how much the fans and players love Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin, if he was replaced tomorrow the overall Steeler program wouldn't skip much of a beat. The same can not be said of someone like Nick Saban at Alabama or any of the other men on our list of highest paid college football coaches. If Saban left, the entire program, which made $70 million in 2011, would be destroyed. So maybe now you understand why these guys command such high salaries:
Highest Paid College Coaches:
- #1: Nick Saban – (Alabama) $5.62 million (Will be $6m by 2017)
- #2: Mack Brown (Texas) $5.3 million
- #3: Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) $4.6 million
- #4: Urban Meyer (Ohio State) $4.3 million
- #5: Les Miles (LSU) $4.3 Million
- #6: Kirk Ferentz (University of Iowa) $3.9 Million
- #7: Charlie Strong (Louisville) $3.7 Million
- #8: Steve Spurrier (University of South Carolina) $3.6 Million
- #9: Gary Patterson (TCU) $3.5 Million
- #10: Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State) $3.3 Million
- #11: Bret Bielema (Arkansas) $3.24 Million
- #12: Brady Hoke (University of Michigan) $3.23 Million
- #13: Butch Jones (Tennessee) $3.1 Million
- #14: Lane Kiffin (University of Southern California) $3 Million
- #15: Mark Richt (University of Georgia) $3 Million
- #16: Todd Graham (Arizona State) $3 Million
- #17: Bo Pelini (University of Nebraska) $2.9 Million
- #18: Jimbo Fisher (Florida State University) $2.8 Million
- #19: Gary Pinkel (University of Missouri) $2.75 Million
- #20: Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech) $2.75 Million
- #21: James Franklin (Vanderbilt) $2.7 Million
- #22: Gary Anderson (Wisconsin) $2.7 Million
- #23: Brian Kelly (Notre Dame) $2.6 Million
- #24: Dan Mullen (Mississippi State) $2.6 Million
- #25: Mike London (Virginia) $2.6 Million
- #26: David Shaw (Stanford) $2.5 Million
- #27: Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M) $2.5 Million
- #28: Will Muschamp (University of Florida) $2.5 Million
- #29: Larry Fedora (North Carolina) $2.5 Million
- #30: Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech) $2.5 Million
- #31: Charlie Weis (Kansas) $2.5 Million
- #32: Steve Sarkisian (Washington) $2.5 Million
- #33: Dana Holgorsen (West Virginia) $2.4 Million
- #34: Jim Grobe (Wake Forest) $2.4 Million
- #35: Sonny Dykes (California) $2.3 Million
- #36: Gus Malzahn (Auburn) $2.3 Million
- #37: Mike Leach (Washington State) $2.3 Million
- #38: Bill O'Brien (Penn State) $2.3 million
- #39: Tommy Tuberville (Cincinnati) $2.3 Million
- #40: Art Briles (Baylor) $2.3 Million
- #41: Kliff Kingsbury (Texas Tech) $2.3 Million
- #42: Bill Snyder (Kansas State) $2.2 Million
- #43: Dabo Swinney (Clemson) $2.1 Million
- #44: Jim Mora (UCLA) $2 Million
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