For diehard college football fans, there is no one more celebrated or reviled quite like head coaches. Nick Saban stands as the legendary figure for Alabama’s Crimson Tide, having secured six national championships in just 12 years. Ryan Day won a national championship with Ohio State last year yet still faces scrutiny from fans eager for a victory over Michigan in the regular season.
It’s a new era of college football. The transfer portal shakes up rosters every year, and the consolidation to the Power 4 Programs has heightened recruitment battles. Head coaches have assumed more responsibility than ever, often shouldering general manager-type duties.
A head coach is the most influential figure in a college football program, and they’ve got the salaries to prove it. Here are the highest-paid college football coaches in the game right now.
You can follow along as some CFB coaches lead their team to glory and others feel the wrath of college football message boards. Catch all of the college football action on DIRECTV.
40 Highest Paid College Football Coaches in 2025
Even with Ryan Day receiving a new extension at defending champion Ohio State and the arrivals of Bill Belichick and Coach Prime in the top 10, Georgia’s Kirby Smart remains the highest-paid coach in college football. That’s what back-to-back national titles will do for you.
Here’s a full breakdown of the highest coaching salaries in college football:
| Rank | Coach | School | Salary |
| 1 | Kirby Smart | Georgia | $13,282,580 |
| 2 | Ryan Day | Ohio State | $12,500,000 |
| 3 | Dabo Swinney | Clemson | $11,132,775 |
| 4 | Dan Lanning | Oregon | $11,000,000 |
| 5 | Steve Sarkisian | Texas | $10,600,000 |
| 6 | Kalen DeBoer | Alabama | $10,250,000 |
| 7 | Lincoln Riley | USC | $10,043,418 |
| 8 | Bill Belichick | North Carolina | $10,000,000 |
| 9 | Mike Norvell | Florida State | $10,000,000 |
| 10 | Deion Sanders | Colorado | $10,000,000 |
| 11 | Brian Kelly | LSU | $9,975,000 |
| 12 | Mark Stoops | Kentucky | $9,013,600 |
| 13 | Eliah Drinkwitz | Missouri | $9,000,000 |
| 14 | Josh Heupel | Tennessee | $9,000,000 |
| 15 | Lane Kiffin | Ole Miss | $9,000,000 |
| 16 | Marcus Freeman | Notre Dame | $9,000,000 |
| 17 | James Franklin | Penn State | $8,500,000 |
| 18 | Shane Beamer | South Carolina | $8,150,000 |
| 19 | Curt Cignetti | Indiana | $8,000,000 |
| 20 | Mario Cristobal | Miami | $7,783,059 |
| 21 | Luke Fickell | Wisconsin | $7,725,000 |
| 22 | Jedd Fisch | Washington | $7,700,023 |
| 23 | Brent Venables | Oklahoma | $7,625,000 |
| 24 | Lance Leipold | Kansas | $7,500,000 |
| 25 | Matt Rhule | Nebraska | $7,500,000 |
| 26 | Billy Napier | Florida | $7,370,000 |
| 27 | Jonathan Smith | Michigan State | $7,250,000 |
| 28 | Mike Elko | Texas A&M | $7,000,000 |
| 29 | Kirk Ferentz | Iowa | $7,000,000 |
| 30 | P.J. Fleck | Minnesota | $6,800,000 |
| 31 | Mike Gundy | Oklahoma State | $6,750,000 |
| 32 | Hugh Freeze | Auburn | $6,728,100 |
| 33 | Pat Narduzzi | Pittsburgh | $6,699,551 |
| 34 | Bret Bielema | Illinois | $6,650,000 |
| 35 | Kyle Whittingham | Utah | $6,525,000 |
| 36 | Sam Pittman | Arkansas | $6,498,000 |
| 37 | Greg Schiano | Rutgers | $6,250,000 |
| 38 | Barry Odom | Purdue | $6,000,000 |
| 39 | Sherrone Moore | Michigan | $6,000,000 |
| 40 | Dave Doeren | NC State | $5,965,377 |
Note: Salary figures are based on publicly available reports and may contain discrepancies depending on contract structures, incentives, and the timing of updates. This list was compiled using multiple reputable sources, including USA Today, Reuters, Front Office Sports and others.
Watch NCAA College Football on DIRECTV
You can watch all of these coaches vie for a College Football Playoff berth and ultimately a trip to the National Championship on DIRECTV.
Below is a breakdown of the biggest CFB conferences and the networks they partner with to bring you games live:
- ACC: ABC, CW, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Select
- American: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Select, CBS
- Big Ten: FOX, FS1, FOX Deportes, Fox One, CBS, Paramount+, NBC, Peacock, Big Ten Network
- Big 12: FOX, FS1, FOX Deportes, Fox One, ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Select
- Ivy League: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Select
- Mid-American: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Select, CBS Sports Network
- Missouri Valley: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Select
- Mountain West: FOX, FS1, Fox One, CBS, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
- Pac-12: CBS, Paramount+, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Select, CW
- SEC: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Select
- Sun Belt: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPN Select
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the highest paid college football coach in 2025?
Kirby Smart, the coach of Georgia, is the highest-paid college football coach right now at approximately $13.3 million per season.
Who are the highest paid college football coaches?
The top 10 highest paid coaches in college football are: Kirby Smart - Georgia - $13,282,580 Ryan Day - Ohio State - $12,500,000 Dabo Swinney - Clemson - $11,132,775 Dan Lanning - Oregon - $11,000,000 Steve Sarkisian - Texas - $10,600,000 Kalen DeBoer - Alabama - $10,250,000 Lincoln Riley - USC - $10,043,418 Bill Belichick - North Carolina - $10,000,000 Mike Norvell - Florida State - $10,000,000 Deion Sanders - Colorado - $10,000,000
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