Updated Highest-Paid College Football Coaches: Georgia's Kirby Smart, Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning is now making roughly $11 million per year. Where does Lanning's new contract extension rank among the other highest paid coaches in all of college football? Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart is currently the No. 1 highest paid coach in the country.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and Oregon head coach Dan Lanning meet during warm ups before the start of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff NCAA college football game between Oregon and Georgia in Atlanta, on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. News Joshua L Jones / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning is among the highest paid coaches in all of college football after his new contract agreement last week. Where does Lanning’s deal put him compared to the other highest paid coaches?

Dan Lanning Now Fourth-Highest Paid Coach in the Country

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day shakes hands with Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning during a Rose Bowl press conference in Los Angeles on Dec. 31, 2024. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks and coach Dan Lanning agreed to a contract extension last week that increased Lanning’s annual salary $2 million per year through 2030. His annual salary is now $11 million. This ranks Lanning as the fourth-highest paid coach in college football per CBS Sports. Who are the three above him?

Oregon and Dan Lanning have agreed on an amended 6-year contract that increases his annual pay by $2 million, per @RossDellenger.

The fully-guaranteed deal averages nearly $11M annually. pic.twitter.com/yqJ3xkoz08

— Rivals (@Rivals) March 6, 2025

Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart is currently the highest paid coach in the country. Smart is making $13.2 million a year after he signed a 10-year deal worth $130 million last year. He has delivered two national championships to Georgia in 2021 and 2022 and is coming off of an SEC title in 2024. 

At No. 2 is Ohio State Buckeyes coach Ryan Day, making $12.5 million annually. He led the Buckeyes to a national championship this past season, while in the eyes of many, being on the hot seat after losing four straight to Michigan. However, they won the ultimate trophy, and he deserves a lot of credit for keeping his team together in the midst of it. 

At No. 3 is Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney. Swinney is a two-time national championship winning coach with the Tigers and makes an annual salary of $11.5 million. Clemson had a few years that were considered “down” by their standards, but last season, Swinney rallied them to an ACC title and a College Football Playoff appearance. 

In addition to Lanning, Smart, Day, and Swinney, there are four other coaches in college football are making at least $10 million a year; Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns with $10.8 million, Lincoln Riley of the USC Trojans with $10.1 million, Kalen DeBoer of the Alabama Crimson Tide $10.2 million, and Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels with $10.0 million. 

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Oregon Ducks Upward Trajectory Under Lanning

Jan 1, 2025; Pasadena, CA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning during a timeout in the first quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Dan Lanning took over as coach of the Oregon Ducks in 2022. Lanning stepped in and went 10-3 in his first season, with a win in the Holiday Bowl.

Oregon took another step forward in 2023 and went 11-1 in the regular season and made the Pac-12 Championship game. Oregon lost to the eventual national runner-up Washington Huskies, but bounced back with a Fiesta Bowl win over Liberty.

2024 was Oregon's best under Lanning. The Ducks entered the College Football Playoff with a perfect 13-0 record and a Big Ten Championship. Their season came to an end in the Rose Bowl against the eventual National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes.

Each year has been better and better for the Ducks each season since Lanning arrived in Eugene. Can they take another step forward in 2025?

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