Top 20 highest paid college football coaches in 2024
The lives of college soccer head coaches are demanding, and some are duly compensated for it. This is because being a college soccer head coach is not just about what happens on the field. Head coaches have to contend with a multitude of factors in the modern era. Let’s join admin Kingsoccertips as we go through the top 20 highest paid college football coaches right below.
The best highest paid college football coaches
1. Nick Saban (Alabama – $11.4M)
Nicholas Lou Saban is an American sports broadcaster and former professional and college football coach. He serves as an analyst for ESPN’s College GameDay, a television program covering college football. He is regarded as one of the greatest football coaches of all time.
Saban has been the head coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) and at four universities. As a college football head coach, Saban has won seven national championships, the most in college football history. His first came when he led the LSU Tigers to the BCS National Championship in 2003.
2. Dabo Swinney (Clemson – $10.9M) – Highest paid college football coaches
William Christopher “Dabo” Swinney, a native of Jefferson County (1969-), is a former football player for the University of Alabama (UA) and currently serves as the head coach of the Clemson University football team in South Carolina. Over the past 12 seasons, Swinney has amassed a record of 130 – 31.
Earning numerous coaching awards, six ACC championships, and two national championships in college football playoffs. In Swinney’s first season as the permanent head coach in 2009, Clemson Tigers secured the Atlantic Division championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference, despite finishing the 2010 season with a 6-6 record.
3. Kirby Smart (Georgia – $10.7M)
Smart was born in Montgomery, Alabama and raised in Bainbridge, Georgia. His father was a football coach in high school. [4] Smart began his playing career at Bainbridge High School and went on to play college football at the University of Georgia. Where he was teammates with defensive linebackers Antonio Cochran, Emarlos Leroy.
From 2002 to 2003, Smart worked as a graduate assistant to Bobby Bowden at Florida State while pursuing a master’s degree. He received his master’s degree from FSU in 2003. Smart then spent one season as a defensive defender coach at LSU under head coach Nick Saban in 2004.
4. Ryan Day (Ohio State – $10.3M)
Ryan Patrick Day (born March 12, 1979) is an American football coach and former college football player. Day attended Manchester Central High School in Manchester, New Hampshire. As a midfielder and defensive back, he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in his senior season.
In the 2023 season, his fifth season as head coach, the Buckeyes achieved a record of 11–0 and were ranked 2nd going into the Michigan game. However, Michigan won 30–24, marking the first three-game losing streak for the Buckeyes against Michigan since 1995/97. The Buckeyes were then invited to the 2023 Cotton Bowl, where they lost to the Missouri Tigers 14–3 on December 29, 2023, finishing the season with a record of 11–2.
5. Mel Tucker (Michigan State – $10M) – Highest paid college football coaches
Mel Tucker, a 27-year veteran coach with championship experience, was named Michigan State University’s 25th head football coach on Feb. 12, 2020. He will enter his fourth season as Sparta head coach in 2023. In just his second year at East Lansing in 2021, Tucker led MSU to an 11-2 record, cracked the Top 10 and won the New Year’s Six with wins over ACC Champions and No. 12 Pittsburgh in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Tucker was named National Coach of the Year by numerous organizations, including the United States Soccer Coaches Association, the Paul Bear Bryant Award, the Football Writers Association of America, and Maxwell Soccer Club. In 174 matches as a full-time coach in FBS, Tucker’s teams set a record of 124 – 50.
6. Brian Kelly (LSU – $9.9M)
When Brian Kelly was hired from Notre Dame in December 2021, LSU announced at the time that “LSU Football’s search for the next championship head coach is over.” As the most successful recruit in program history with 304 career wins, Kelly wasted little time making his impact, leading the Tigers to a 10 game season and SEC Western Division title in his first year.
Despite inheriting a roster with only 39 scholarship players left from the 2021 season, Kelly led the Tigers to Top 10 wins over Ole Miss and Alabama along with wins over Auburn, Florida and Arkansas in his first year with the Tigers. LSU ended the 2022 season with a resounding 63 – 7 win over the Purdue in the Citrus Bowl.
7. Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M – $9.1M) – Highest paid college football coaches
Jimbo Fisher continues to lay the groundwork for a stellar program at Texas A&M with a positive outlook towards the 2023 season. Jim and his staff continue to recruit outstanding players and develop talent. Fisher, one of five active head coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision with a national championship, was appointed head football coach at Texas A&M on December 4, 2017.
Further won over Aggies by immersing himself in the school’s traditions and securing victories on the football field. He showcased the “Gig Em” sign at his introductory press conference. He linked arms with his son and teammates in singing the Aggie War Hymn at the spring game.
8. Mark Stoops (Kentucky – $9.01M)
Stoops has reached significant personal milestones as he enters his 11th season at Kentucky, the longest tenure of any coach in the school’s history. The Wildcats’ victory at Florida in 2022 marked Stoops’ 61st win, surpassing Paul “Bear” Bryant’s previous record of 60 wins.
Inheriting a program from a 2-10 record before his arrival, Stoops’ rebuilding efforts required time. With a 12-26 record in his first two seasons in 2016, his program started from there, and the coach has since established a record of 54-33 (.621) since then.
9. Josh Heupel (Tennessee – $9M)
Former national championship-winning quarterback Josh Heupel took the reins of Tennessee football in 2021 and has guided this proud program to a national resurgence. Named Coach of the Year at the 2022 Southeastern Conference and twice a finalist for National Coach of the Year, Heupel was officially announced as the 27th head football coach of the Volunteers on January 27, 2021.
The 44 year old has coached and played in numerous national championship games, securing 8 conference titles, coaching in 19 bowl games, developing 2 Heisman Trophy winners, and landing 5 in the top 5 of the Heisman. He ranks among the top 10 nationally among head coaches in NFL Draft selections over the last three drafts, with 15 players selected.
10. Lane Kiffin (Mississippi – $9M) – Highest paid college football coaches
Lane Kiffin has just completed his third season at Ole Miss, leading the Rebels to three consecutive bowl appearances in his early years in Oxford. In his 11 years at the NCAA level, Kiffin has achieved an all-time record of 84 – 47, including a 23-13 record at Ole Miss.
Once again, the Rebels were ranked among the nation’s leaders in various offensive statistics in 2022. Ole Miss ranked 3rd nationally in rushing yards per game (256.6) and 8th in total offense (496.4). Kiffin helped recruit and develop highly talented freshman running back Quinshon Judkins. Judkins set Ole Miss single-season records for both rushing attempts (1,567) and rushing touchdowns (16).
11. James Franklin (Penn State – $8.5M)
James Franklin, a former football coach with 28 years of experience, was appointed as the 16th head football coach of Penn State on January 11, 2014, entering his 13th season as a collegiate head coach. Franklin’s coaching record in his career stands at 102 – 51, making him one of eight active FBS coaches with a winning percentage over.
Under Franklin’s leadership, Penn State has consistently ranked in the top 12 of the College Football Playoff rankings in five out of the past seven seasons, earning bids to four New Year’s Six bowl games with three wins and winning the Big Ten Championship in 2016. Franklin has guided the Nittany Lions to a successful graduation rate of 86%. achieving a perfect APR score for the 2018-19 academic year.
12. Jim Harbaugh (Michigan – $8.3M) – Highest paid college football coaches
In his ninth year as the head football coach of the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family at Michigan in 2023, Jim Harbaugh has led Michigan to consecutive Big Ten Championships and College Football Playoff victories (2021-22). UM set a school-record 13 wins in 2022, surpassing the previous mark of 12 wins set in the 1905, 1997, and 2021 seasons.
The Wolverines finished third in the final national rankings for the second consecutive season, marking just the third time in school history the program has finished in the top 5 in consecutive years. Overall, Harbaugh has guided the Wolverines to a record of 74-25 and is 53-17 in Big Ten games.
13. Luke Fickell (Wisconsin – $7.6M)
Luke Fickell was named the 31st head coach of the University of Wisconsin football team on Nov. 27, 2022. L. Fickell ushered in a new era of Badger football after elevating the University of Cincinnati’s football program to new heights during his six seasons as head coach.
In just six years, Fickell has emerged as one of the nation’s top coaches and positioned Cincinnati football as an elite program capable of consistently competing for championships. He set a 57 – 18 record in six years with UC.
14. Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State – $7.6M) – Highest paid college football coaches
Mike Gundy, known as “Mr. Cowboy,” earned his nickname because of his extensive involvement with Oklahoma State University (OSU), where he played, served as an assistant coach, and currently holds the position of head football coach. He is poised to become the winningest football coach in OSU history.
The All-State midfielder from Midwest City brought his talents to OSU, where alongside Thurman Thomas, Barry Sanders, Hart Lee Dykes, and later head coach Pat Jones, he led the team to two seasons with 10 wins and victories in the 1987 Sun Bowl against West Virginia and the 1988 Holiday Bowl against Wyoming. He completed his collegiate career as the all-time leader in total offenses in the Big Eight Conference.
15. Mike Norvell (Florida State – $7.3M)
Mike Norvell was named Florida State’s 11th full-time football head coach on December 8, 2019 and has brought the Seminoles back to the nation’s elite team as he enters his fourth season in charge. Norvell’s fouls averaged 37.4 points per game during his seven years as head coach, which is the third-highest average in the country among active head coaches annually from 2016 – 22.
Norvell and Nick Saban are the only two FBS head coaches to score at least 500 points per season from 2016-19. In addition to his powerful offense, Norvell’s teams recorded 13 defensive touchdowns and 12 touchdowns in the first game. In addition to Johnson, Norvell guided second-round picks Anthony Miller and Asante Samuel, Jr., as well as third-round picks Darrell Henderson, Antonio Gibson and Dylan Parham.
16. Billy Napier (Florida – $7.3M) – Highest paid college football coaches
Billy Napier enters his third season with the Gators after being named the 29th head coach in program history on Nov. 28, 2021. During his first year in Florida, Napier established a new culture that emphasized teamwork, toughness and discipline, establishing a strong foundation for the future of Florida Football.
It didn’t take long for Florida’s cultural shift to become apparent. The Gators finished the 2022 season fourth in SEC in total penalty yards (584) and penalty yards per game (48.7) and eighth in total penalties (78). Napier’s emphasis on playing disciplined football has translated into an exceptional improvement over the 2021 season when the Gators finished 13th in the conference with 104 penalties.
17. Brent Venables (Oklahoma – $7.1M)
In his 25 years as a full-time assistant coach, his teams had 25 championship seasons, participated in 29 league games and won more than 10 games 21 times. Coached eight national championship games, helping Clemson win four berths and two titles. He also had a 13-2 record in the 15 conference championship games he coached, including a 6-0 record in the ACC Championship Games with Clemson.
Clemson led the ACC in total defensive possession (326.8 yards per game) in 2020 for the fourth time in 5 years. His 2020 team produced 46 bags, the most in the country, though no player produced more than 4.5. A total of 21 Clemson players contributed at least half a bag, the most in the country and the most in a season in the Dabo Swinney era.
18. Kirk Ferentz (Iowa – $7M) – Highest paid college football coaches
Moon Family soccer head coach Kirk Ferentz is in his 26th year as head football coach at the University of Iowa. The position of head coach of the UI football team was awarded by Will and Renee Moon in 2021. The Bettendorf, Iowa couple are longtime UI alumni and Hawkeye supporters.
Iowa’s victory over fellow state rival Iowa State, on Sept. 9, 2023, was his 200th victory as a college head coach. With Iowa’s win over Michigan State on Sept. 30, 2023, Ferentz edged Amos Alonzo Stagg for third place in the Big Ten win with 116 and his career mark in Big Ten games at 122-85.
19. Dan Lanning (Oregon – $6.6M)
Dan Lanning was officially announced as the 35th head football coach in the history of Oregon football on December 11, 2021, with athletic director Rob Mullens bringing one of the most promising young coaches and defensive minds in college football to Eugene to lead the Ducks.
Lanning arrived at Oregon after spending four previous seasons at Georgia, including the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator. He directed a top-ranked national defense for three seasons as defensive coordinator and helped lead the Bulldogs to a national championship in 2022 before assuming the role of head coach at Oregon full-time.
20. Hugh Freeze (Auburn – $6.5M) – Highest paid college football coaches
Hugh Freeze was honored as the 31st head football coach in the 129-year history of Auburn on November 28, 2022. With 12 years of collegiate head coaching experience, Freeze quickly elevated each program he led, including Ole Miss and most recently, Liberty.
Freeze achieved similar success at each of his previous coaching stops before Liberty, including Lambuth University (2008-09), Arkansas State University (2011), and Ole Miss (2012-16). The Oxford, Mississippi native led each school to double-digit win seasons, helping Ole Miss reach the top 10 nationally in 2015. His coaching record over the span of 12 years is 103-47.
Conclude
So we’ve taken a look at the list of the world’s most highest paid college football coaches – the latest updated information through early March 2024. When tournaments become fierce and need more tactics, coaches will have to calculate more. So if they receive a huge salary, bonuses are not a luxury or strange. This is definitely not the final number, so let’s wait and see what changes in the next articles.
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