$130 Million Coach Faces Backlash as Highest-Paid in College Football
The list of highest-paid college football coaches has been revealed and the $13 million man at the top will not come as a surprise to most fans. USA Today revealed the publication’s annual list of highest-paid coaches based on annual salaries.
Ohio State Buckeyes’ Ryan Day comes in at No. 5 with total pay topping $10 million. USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley sits at No. 4 while also eclipsing $10 million. Texas Longhorns’ Steve Sarkisian’s total money of $10.6 million per year puts him at No. 3.
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney has a considerable gap between himself and the highest-paid person on the list. Swinney is No. 2 with $11.1 million in total money per year.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart gets a gatorade bath.
Finally, the two-time national championship coach of the Georgia Bulldogs sits atop the list at $13.2 million. Kirby Smart signed a 10-year, $130 million contract extension in May 2024, per Atlanta 11 Alive News.
USA Today reported that the more than $2 million gap between Smart and Swinney is the largest chasm between the two highest-paid coaches since the publication started the database in 2006.
