The inflation of college football coaching salaries appears to have no end in sight. In the latest research done by USA TODAY Sports, 21 coaches will make at least $5 million this season, despite athletics departments cutting annual pay to staff amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
It should be no surprise that the biggest and richest conferences are the ones spending the most on their coaches. Eighteen of the 28 highest-paid coaches in this year’s survey reside in the Big Ten and SEC. All of the 28 coaches earned compensation of more than $4 million. Just 15 years ago, only one surpassed $3 million.
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Reporter Steve Berkowitz has been compiling this data for more than 15 years, requesting all forms of compensation for coaches at Bowl Subdivision public schools.
The top five highest-paid coaches this season are predictably from schools that have won multiple national championships except one outlier.
No. 1 Nick Saban, Alabama ($9,753,221)
No. 2 Ed Orgeron, LSU ($9,012,917)
No. 3 David Shaw, Stanford ($8,924,683)
No. 4 Dabo Swinney, Clemson ($8,370,775)
No. 5 Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma ($7,672,710)
More in-depth coverage gleaned from our gathering of coaches contracts can be found here:
DATABASE: Search through our list of salaries for every college football coach
EXPLOSION: The astronomical rise of pay for college football coaches continues
BAD DEALS: Five worst contacts with schools and their college football coaches
WHAT PANDEMIC?: These coaches cashed in big despite schools’ cutbacks
ODD MOVE: Texas did something no one saw coming. It tried to emulate Texas A&M
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Top college football coach salaries: Who are the highest-paid coaches?