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College Football Coaches Salaries and Buyouts

Brett Friedlander

By Brett Friedlander

Last Updated:

Winning a national championship has its perks.

Beyond the trophy and the noterity that come with having the best team in college football, there are also financial rewards for the men who them in the form of contract extensions and hefty raises. So it’s no surprise that some of the nation’s highest-paid coaches are those with titles on their resumés.

Here is the coaching salary and buyout information for the 2025 season. All salary information is via USA Today.

Highest-Paid College Football Coaches

On this page, we’ll identify the highest-paid coaches in college football, what they make in 2025, how much it will take to buy them out and more, based on USA Today’s salary database, released on Oct. 8, 2025.

Let’s dive in:

CoachSchool2025 SalaryBuyout
Kirby SmartGeorgia$13,282,580$105,107,583
Ryan DayOhio State$12,575,000$70,916,667
Lincoln RileyUSC$11,537,560n/a
Dabo SwinneyClemson$11,447,025$60,000,000
Steve SarkisianTexas$10,800,000$60,307,500
Dan LanningOregon$10,400,000$56,733,333
Kalen DeBoerAlabama$10,250,000$60,843,750
Brian KellyLSU$10,175,000*$53,293,333
Bill BelichickNorth Carolina$10,100,000 $20,833,333
Lane KiffinOle Miss$9,000,000$36,600,000
Eliah DrinkwitzMissouri$9,000,000$28,875,685
Josh HeupelTennessee$9,000,000 $37,500,000
Mark StoopsKentucky$9,000,000$37,687,500
Deion SandersColorado$8,975,000$33,625,000
Matt RhuleNebraska$8,500,000$49,612,500
James FranklinPenn State$8,500,000$48,666,667
Mario CristobalMiami$8,302,883 n/a
Curt CignettiIndiana$8,300,000$56,700,000
Bret BielemaIllinois$8,200,000$49,491,667
Shane BeamerSouth Carolina$8,150,000$27,903,958
Luke FickellWisconsin$7,825,000$27,493,333
Jedd FischWashington$7,575,024 $33,686,666
Brent VenablesOklahoma$7,552,750$36,158,333
Billy NapierFlorida$7,470,000 $20,428,333
Kenny DillinghamArizona State$7,442,000$24,683,333

SEC Football Coaches Salaries

Now that Nick Saban has retired, Georgia’s Kirby Smart remains the highest-paid coach in the SEC. How much do the conference’s football coaches make? Here’s a look at what each SEC football coach earns in 2025:

CoachSchool2025 Salary
Kirby SmartGeorgia$13,282,580
Steve SarkisianTexas$10,800,000
Kalen DeBoerAlabama$10,250,000
Brian KellyLSU$10,175,000
Mark StoopsKentucky$9,000,000
Lane KiffinOle Miss$9,000,000
Eli DrinkwitzMissouri$9,000,000
Josh HeupelTennessee$9,000,000
Shane BeamerSouth Carolina$8,150,000
Brent VenablesOklahoma$7,552,750
Billy NapierFlorida$7,470,000
Mike ElkoTexas A&M$7,000,000
Hugh FreezeAuburn$6,734,500*
Sam PittmanArkansas$6,814,600 (fired)
Jeff Lebby Mississippi State$4,350,000
Clark LeaVanderbilt$3,711,137

ACC Football Coaches Salaries

Dabo Swinney remains the highest-paid coach in the ACC. But the addition of 6-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick has brought about a major shakeup in the league’s salary hierarchy.

Here is every ACC coach’s salary in 2025.

CoachSchool2025 Salary
Dabo SwinneyClemson$11,447,025
Bill BelichickNorth Carolina$10,100,000
Mario CristobalMiami $8,302,883
Pat NarduzziPittsburgh$7,259,909
Dave DoerenNorth Carolina State$6,215,377
Jeff BrohmLouisville$5,981,057
Mike NorvellFlorida State$5,650,000
Justin WilcoxCalifornia$4,800,000
Jake DickertWake Forest$4,800,000
Brent PryVirginia Tech$4,787,500 (fired)
Brent KeyGeorgia Tech$4,500,000
Tony ElliottVirginia$4,406,000
Rhett Lashlee*SMU$2,470,818
Bill O'BrienBoston CollegeN/A
Manny DiazDukeN/A
Frank ReichStanfordN/A
Fran BrownSyracuseN/A

* As private institutions, Boston College, Duke, SMU, Stanford and Syracuse are not required to publish contract details.

Big Ten Football Coaches Salaries

Ryan Day didn’t just get some added job security by leading Ohio State to the 2024-25 national championship. He also got a bump in pay that jumps him to the top of the class among highest-paid Big Ten coaches. He’s now ahead of Southern Cal’s Lincoln Riley.

CoachSchool2025 Salary
Ryan DayOhio State$12,575,000
Lincoln RileyUSC$11,537,560
Dan LanningOregon$10,400,000
Matt RhuleNebraska$8,500,000
James FranklinPenn State$8,500,000
Curt CignettiIndiana$8,300,000
Bret BielemaIllinois$8,200,000
Luke FickellWisconsin$7,825,000
Jedd FischWashington$7,575,024
Jonathan SmithMichigan State$7,350,000
Kirk FerentzIowa$7,175,000
PJ FleckMinnesota$7,000,000
Greg SchianoRutgers$6,500,000
Sherrone MooreMichigan$6,110,000
Mike LocksleyMaryland$6,100,000
Barry OdomPurdue$6,050,000
DeShaun FosterUCLA$3,100,000 (fired)
David BraunNorthwesternN/A*

* As a private institution, Northwestern is not required to publish contract details.

College Football Coach Buyouts

Buyouts are a big topic of discussion in college football these days. As pressure to win (and win big) in college football increases, a down year can lead to a coach losing his job.

With that said, let’s take a look at some of the buyouts, both massive and school-friendly, for the current crop of SEC, ACC and Big Ten coaches. These buyout numbers reflect what a school would have to pay a coach to fire him without cause before the end of the 2025 season (figures courtesy of USA Today):

SEC Football Coach Buyouts

CoachSchoolBuyout (as of Dec. 1, 2025)
Kirby SmartGeorgia$105,107,583
Steve SarkisianTexas$60,307,500
Kalen DeBoerAlabama$60,843,750
Brian KellyLSU$53,293,333
Mark StoopsKentucky$37,687,500
Josh HeupelTennessee$37,500,000
Lane KiffinOle Miss$36,600,000
Brent VenablesOklahoma$36,158,333
Shane BeamerSouth Carolina$27,903,958
Eli DrinkwitzMizzou$28,875,685
Mike ElkoTexas A&M$21,875,000
Billy NapierFlorida$20,428,333
Hugh FreezeAuburn$15,437,500
Jeff LebbyMississippi State$11,006,250
Sam PittmanArkansas$7,000,000 (fired)
Clark LeaVanderbiltn/a

ACC Football Coach Buyouts

CoachSchoolBuyout (on Dec. 1, 2025)
Dabo SwinneyClemson$60,000,000
Mike NorvellFlorida State$58,667,708
Jeff BrohmLouisville$33,633,333
Bill BelichickNorth Carolina$20,833,333
Dave DoerenNorth Carolina State$13,129,456
Tony ElliottVirginia$11,175,000
Brent KeyGeorgia Tech$11,123,333
Justin WilcoxCal$10,879,167
Pat NarduzziPittsburgh$7,600,000
Brent PryVirginia Tech$6,000,000 (fired)
Mario CristobalMiamin/a
Bill O'BrienBoston CollegeN/A
Manny DiazDukeN/A
Rhett LashleeSMUN/A
Frank Reich (interim)StanfordN/A
Fran BrownSyracuseN/A
Jake DickertWake ForestN/A

Big Ten Football Coach Buyouts

CoachSchoolBuyout (as of Dec. 1, 2025)
Ryan DayOhio State$70,916,667
Dan LanningOregon$56,733,333
Curt CignettiIndiana$56,700,000
Matt RhuleNebraska$49,612,500
Bret BielemaIllinois$49,491,667
James FranklinPenn State$48,666,667
Jedd FischWashington$33,686,666
Jonathan SmithMichigan State$33,033,125
Luke FickellWisconsin$27,493,333
PJ FleckMinnesota$26,600,000
Kirk FerentzIowa$25,729,167
Barry OdomPurdue$25,125,000
Greg SchianoRutgers$23,735,156
Sherrone MooreMichigan$13,897,916
Mike LocksleyMaryland$13,395,417
DeShaun FosterUCLA$7,000,000 (fired)
Lincoln RileyUSCn/a
David BraunNorthwesternN/A

All salary and buyout figures were obtained from a database compiled by USA Today on Oct. 8, 2025.

Brett Friedlander

Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.

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