New Contract Details Announced for Nick Saban

The Alabama football head coach will see a significant increase in pay in the final year of his contract.

Winning big, pays big, at least if you are Nick Saban.

The Alabama football head coach further cemented his status as the highest paid public employee in the state of Alabama when his new contract details were announced at a University of Alabama Board of Trustees meeting Monday afternoon. 

Coming off his sixth national championship with the Crimson Tide, Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne shared that Saban's contract was extended three years through Feb. 28, 2029. 

While his base salary will stay the same at $275,000, starting March 1 his talent fee will increase to $8,425,000 and then increases by $400,000 annually. By the last year of Saban's contract from March 1, 2028 to February 28, 2029 that annual talent fee will increase to $11,225,000 for total compensation of $11.5 million. 

Saban's contract also leaves room for bonuses for things like making the postseason, winning the SEC Championship, winning the national championship, winning SEC or national coach of the year, and a $100,000 bonus if the team is in the top-four in the SEC for graduation rates. 

This also locks Saban in as the highest paid college coach in America. According to a November 2020 USA Today report, Saban was already the highest paid head coach ahead of LSU's Ed Orgeron and Clemson's Dabo Swinney, but this puts him ahead even more. Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M round out the top five earners. 

The head football coach was one of 13 Alabama athletics coaches to have new contracts shared at board of trustees meetings including other head coaches like Dana Duckworth, Brad Bohannon, Patrick Murphy and Kristy Curry. 

All the contracts were approved with a unanimous vote by the board. 

Saban has consistently been one of, if not the top, paid coaches in the country throughout his tenure at Alabama, and as evidenced by the three Heisman winners, seven conference championships, 39 NFL first round draft picks and six national championships, it is well worth the investment for the university and the fans.