With 2015 NCAA Division I football season coming to a climax, one must wonder who are the highest-paid college football coaches? We all know that NFL teams have the largest budgets of all American collective sports teams, and players there usually earn much more than their coaches. The situation is quite different in college football where coaches are the ones earning more. In fact, we all know that NCAA football players don’t earn a squat apart from their stipends and up to $5,000 of allowance per month as of 2015. Before 2015, however, even this allowance was non-existent.
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With this in mind, it’s clear that college football coaches have every reason to sing out loud being the most important parts of their respective programs. Speaking of singing, take a look at our list of 13 highest paid singers in the world in 2015. However, not all is rosy for the NCAA football coaches as they often find themselves under considerable pressure. The pressure is usually proportionate with their respective salaries – the bigger the salary, the larger the pressure. In fact, nine head coaches have already been fired this season, while some have left of their own volition.
Our data is gathered from USA Today and Newsday. It’s always better to have at least couple of sources in order to confirm their respective precision, even though college football coach’s salaries are usually transparent. The thing is, however, private and public schools are exempt from mandatory salary data release by the state law. Data on these schools has been gathered from older reports and isn’t 100 percent accurate, or at least not up to date.
We have decided to include all available payments into consideration. Apart from the base school salary, some coaches have received other sources of income. But let us clarify, first. School salary includes all guaranteed payments including the sponsorship and all kinds of appearance payments. It also includes payments based on attendance, ticket sales, and even money earned from signing and other one-time bonuses that are earned in current contract year. Other payments include all athletically related earnings that a coach has reported and earned outside of his respective contract. Maximum available bonuses also speak in favor of respective schools expenditures, but can’t yet be taken into account since the season isn’t finished yet. Last year’s total bonuses paid also wouldn’t give us a precise picture. After all, different contract years can’t be compared. While bonuses and other incentives can’t really be taken into consideration here, we’ll be certain to mention them regardless – just to give you the bigger picture. Without further ado, here’s our list of 11 highest-paid college football coaches.
11. Art Briles – Baylor
Total pay: $4,238,573
Baylor is one of those private institutions with the right to keep their salary records for themselves, which they legitimately use. However, while coach Briles’ contract details are obscured, his salary is pretty specific. Only $2,500 have been reported as additional payments which means that almost all of the above-mentioned chunk of salary is guaranteed. As you might have imagined rest of Briles’ contract details are being kept secret as well, but we do know that he’s supposed to remain Bears’ coach until 2023 when he’ll be 68 years old. It’s no less than he deserves despite failing to win in two consecutive bowl games in 2013 and 2014. After all, he has led the team to a couple of best seasons in their history which have earned them the top 10 overall finish – only second and third in school’s history.
10. Hugh Freeze – Mississippi
Total pay: $4,310,000
Ole Miss Rebels’ head coach as of late 2011 – Hugh Freeze has earned $4,300,000 through school payments this year. He has also been paid $125,000 out of $975,000 in bonuses last year. Hugh Freeze has, without any questions, deserved such a high salary since he has led his team to two consecutive bowl games – Peach Bowl against the TCU last year where they were blown away and BCS Sugar Bowl against the Oklahoma State Cowboys which is scheduled for January 1, 2015.
9. Les Miles – LSU
Total pay: $4,388,721
Just like its predecessor on our list of 11 highest-paid college football coaches, Les Miles of the LSU has earned $4,300,000 through school payments, but has reported larger additional payments. He has also been paid $100,000 in bonuses last year, while his perfect season bonus stands at $700,000. It’s certainly tough competing in western SEC conference, but Les Miles and his LSU Tigers have been doing a fine job since 2005 that they have been together. This year, they’ll have to settle for a non-BCS Texas Bowl against the Texas Tech. The game will be played on December 29 at Houston’s NRG Stadium. Apart from getting one of the most competitive salaries in college football, Les Miles has a car worth of a $600 per month in the lease and traditional country club membership.
8. James Franklin – Penn State
Total pay: $4,400,000
Playing in SEC conference might be hard, but playing in Big Ten is probably even harder. Despite the strong squad and one of the best-paid coaches in NCAA football, Nittany Lions have failed to record a positive win-loss ratio. They will get the final chance to do so on January 12 2016 in storied Gator Bowl – currently called TaxSlayer Bowl. Franklin was paid additional $200,000 in bonuses last year, but it is clear that this year will not be so good in terms of bonuses if his team fails to win the mentioned non-BCS bowl. Additional contract perks offer Franklin the choice between a car or an annual sum of $10,000, as well as up to 35 hours per year of private jet use.
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7. Kevin Sumlin – Texas A&M
Total pay: $5,000,000
After the third season in a row without positive win-loss conference ratio, Kevin Sumlin’s position as Aggies’ head coach is under consideration. He may well be fired after a potential loss at the hands of Louisville Cardinals on December 30, 2015 Music City Bowl. Sumlin’s max bonuses amount to $1,350,000, but he has only seen $50,000 of that sum last year. Along with a $5,000,000 a year contract, he might lose a couple of cars provided by the university, country club membership and all the tickets for both football and basketball teams.
6. Charlie Strong – Texas
Total pay: $5,100,270
Longhorns have finished their season with a win over Art Briles’ Baylor team, but they are still below the 500 line. This puts Charlie Strong under fire, especially since his last season wasn’t much better. 5.1 million annual contract which is supposed to rise by additional $100,000 next year isn’t worth of mediocre results that Strong’s team is exhibiting. 20 hours of university plane use per year and couple of cars or ($7,500 stipend per one of them) aren’t going to remain in his perks of the job as well if rumors of his dismissal end up to be true.
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5. Jimbo Fisher – Florida State
Total pay: $5,150,000
Jimbo Fisher has led the Seminoles to their sixth consecutive winning season, but unlike the three previous seasons, Florida State will have to settle for a non-BCS bowl. They’ll still get a chance to improve their 6-2 record against the Houston Cougars in this year’s Peach Bowl. Jimbo Fisher’s position as a head coach and number 5 spot of 11 highest-paid college football coaches should be secure whatever the outcome of the game, though. His maximum amount of bonuses is highest among all of the listed coaches, coming to be just shy of $1.5 million. He has received half a million dollars in bonuses last year, but won’t be able to match the sum this season.
4. Bob Stoops – Oklahoma
Total pay: $5,500,000
Best team in this year’s Big 12 conference – Oklahoma Sooners will not only get the chance to fight for the Orange Bowl title, but to fight for the national title should they win against undefeated Clemson Tigers. This is Bob Stoops’ seventeenth season as a head coach in Oklahoma and during his reign, Sooners have failed to make an appearance in BCS bowl for only six times. Such an impressive record is clearly deserving of $5.5 million annual contract. Not only that, but it will rise by additional $150,000 per annum until 2020 when it finally expires. Losing the Russell Athletic Bowl last year, Stoops’ bonuses have only amounted to $75,000, but they are already past that mark this season. Two cars for him and his family, and no less than 45 hours of private jet use are just everyday perks for such a successful and loyal coach.
3. Urban Meyer – Ohio State
Total pay: $5,860,000
Buckeyes have recorded a 7-1 conference and 11-1 overall score this season, only falling to Michigan State. This was a crucial loss, however, as Spartans are the ones advancing to the Cotton Bowl and College Football Playoffs. Ohio State will have to settle for Fiesta Bowl where they’re hoping to outclass the Fighting Irish of the Notre Dame. Coach Meyer has only lost four games in the same number of seasons with the Buckeyes and this year’s loss at the hands of Spartans was their first conference loss with him at the helm. While Urban Meyer only ranks third overall on this list, his contract bonuses are exorbitant. He’ll earn additional $750,000 in 2016 and $1.2 million in 2018. He also gets a shot at $775,000 in total bonuses a year and he has gained $400,000 of that sum last season.
2. Jim Harbaugh – Michigan
Total pay: $7,004,000
Former San Francisco 49ers head coach has the highest school-paid contract in college football. While not as high as thought at the beginning, more than $7 million guaranteed aren’t a trifling sum, that’s for sure. Harbaugh’s first season was positive as Wolverines finished third overall in a highly competitive Big Ten conference behind their arch rivals Michigan State and Ohio State respectively. They’ll get a chance to win Citrus Bowl on January 1, 2016 against the Florida Gators which could be coach Harbaugh’s first piece of silverware and a stable foundation for future successes. He has six more seasons to his contract, after all, and max bonuses of $1,175,000.
1. Nick Saban – Alabama
Total pay: $7,087,481
Saban might earn slightly less in school-paid salary than his predecessor on this list of 11 highest-paid college football coaches, but another reported income of $155,086 propels him to the top. He has slightly lower maximum bonus of $700,000 and has earned more than half of that sum last year. He’ll have the chance to earn even more this season by winning the Cotton Bowl against Michigan State, and possibly even the playoff final. His contract lasts until 2022, and some of the perks include two full-size cars, $6 million life insurance policy and 25 hours of annual private jet use for personal needs.
