Earnings of college football coaches

We all know football coaches earn a lot but who's at the top? What college football coach gets paid the most?

While coaching salaries can change and fluctuate based on various factors, as of the most recent data from 2024, Nick Saban, head coach of the University of Alabama's football team, holds the spot for the highest-paid college football coach. His earnings, including his base salary, bonuses, and other forms of compensation, are reported to exceed $11 million annually.

However, it's not uncommon for other well-known coaches at successful programs to also cross the $7 million mark annually. For example, Clemson University's Dabo Swinney and the University of Texas's Steve Sarkisian also boast multi-million dollar salaries.

Keep in mind that coach salaries are also often supplemented by additional bonuses for performance achievements, such as conference championships or bowl game victories, and not all contract details are always publicly available, particularly at private institutions. The highest-paid coach in any given year may not necessarily be the coach with the highest base salary if they've earned significant performance bonuses.