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SEC Football

SEC coaching salaries, buyouts revealed in latest database update

Keith Farner

By Keith Farner

Published:

SEC coaching salaries represent many of the top compensation figures in college football. SEC coaches are 13 of the top 25 salaries in the country, according to an annual update by USA Today.

Nick Saban at Alabama leads the country at $11.4 million, however, he’s down the list of buyouts if a program were to move on from their current coach. Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who makes $10.7 million this year, would be paid $92.6 million if Georgia fired him without cause.

Overall around the country, the top 5 highest-paid coaches are Saban, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney at $10,884,775, Smart, Ohio State’s Ryan Day at $10,271,250, and Mel Tucker, the Michigan State coach at $10,015,350, but Tucker has recently parted ways with the Spartans because of what the school said was a breach of contract and moral turpitude.

The ranking is where each coach stands in the country (buyouts are as of Dec. 1, 2023):

1. Nick Saban, Alabama $11,407,000 (buyout: $44,800,000)
3. Kirby Smart, Georgia $10,705,600 ($92,625,000)
6. Brian Kelly, LSU $9,975,000 ($70,018,333)
7. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M $9,150,000 ($77,562,500)
8. Mark Stoops, Kentucky $9,013,600 ($51,187,500)
9. Josh Heupel, Tennessee $9,000,000 ($46,500,000)
10. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss $9,000,000 (N/A)
16. Billy Napier, Florida $7,270,000 ($32,384,716)
20. Hugh Freeze, Auburn $6,500,000 ($25,187,500)
22. Sam Pittman, Arkansas $6,357,500 (N/A)
24. Shane Beamer, South Carolina $6,125,000 ($18,255,521)
25. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri $6,000,000 ($20,437,500)
56. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt $3,051,881 (N/A)
58. Zach Arnett, Mississippi State $3,000,000 (N/A)

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.

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