Skip to main content

Nick Saban tops list of college football coaches’ salaries

Nick Saban tops the list of the highest paid college football coaches. 
  • Author:
  • Publish date:

Nick Saban tops the list of USA Today's highest paid college football coaches with his $7,087,481 total earned last season with the Alabama Crimson Tide. 

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is in his first year with the Wolverines and sits behind Saban with a $7,004,000 total pay.

Urban Meyer, who led Ohio State to a national title in the first College Football Playoff, is third on the list with a $5,860,000 payday. 

Four of the head coaches in the top 10 are from the SEC conference with Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin (7th, $5,000,000), LSU's Les Miles (9th, $4,385,567) and Mississippi's Hugh Freeze (10th, $4,310,000) are behind Saban. 

Private colleges and universities do not always have to disclose the salaries of their head coaches, so some may be absent from the list.

Below is the list of the top 10 coaches and their total salary:

1. Nick Saban, Alabama – $7,087,481

2. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan – $7,004,000

3. Urban Meyer, Ohio State – $5,860,000

4. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma – $5,400,000

5. Jimbo Fisher, Florida State – $5,150,000

6. Charlie Strong, Texas – $5,100,270

7. Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M – $5,000,000

8. James Franklin, Penn State – $4,400,000

9. Les Miles, LSU – $4,385,567

10. Hugh Freeze, Mississippi – $4,310,000

See the full list here.