Here's What Penn State Paid its Football Coaches During 2024 Playoff Run

Penn State's five highest-paid employees during the 2024-25 fiscal year all worked in the athletic department, though they did not include wrestling coach Cael Sanderson, who was on the list the year before. That's according to Penn State's new Right-to-Know Law Report, which provides a snapshot of the university's financial health and its payroll.

The most recent Right-to-Know report, dated May 30, 2026 covers the fiscal year from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. Penn State's latest financial accounting of its $254 million athletic budget covered the same fiscal year.

According to the Right-to-Know report, Penn State is required to to list its five highest-paid employees who are not officers, directors, trustees or considered to be key employees. New to that list in the latest report are two former Penn State football coordinators who were part of the team's run to the 2024 College Football Playoff.

Former Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki made just over $3 million during the 2024-25 fiscal year, during which the Nittany Lions reached the Big Ten title game and CFP semifinals. That was Kotelnicki's first season as Penn State's offensive coordinator. He replaced Mike Yurcich, who was Penn State's fourth-highest-paid employee the previous fiscal year with a salary of about $1.2 million.

Penn State Nittany Lions offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki watches practice outside of Holuba Hall. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen was the fifth-highest-paid university employee, according to the report, at just over $1.6 million. Allen replaced Manny Diaz, who was not among Penn State's five highest-paid employees the previous fiscal year. Allen, the former Indiana head coach, spent one season at Penn State before leaving for Clemson in 2025.

Both Kotelnicki and Allen made more than Sanderson, Penn State's veteran wrestling coach who recently led the Nittany Lions to their fifth straight NCAA title. Sanderson was Penn State's fifth-highest paid employee for the 2023-24 fiscal year. He was not listed in the Right-to-Know report this year.

Sanderson, whose teams have won 13 NCAA wrestling titles in 17 years, received total compensation of just over $1 million from the university during the 2024-25 fiscal year, according to the Right-to-Know report. That marked the first time Sanderson appeared as one of Penn State's five highest-paid university employees.

James Franklin, Penn State's former football coach, once again was the university's highest-paid employee, receiving a compensation package of just over $8.5 million. Franklin's compensation actually declined by about $59,000 over the previous year.

Penn State men's basketball coach Mike Rhoades was second in the list with a compensation of just over $3.5 million. The Nittany Lions went 16-15 that season, Rhoades' second as head coach.

Athletic Director Pat Kraft was fourth on the compensation list behind Kotelnicki at just over $1.8 million. The five Penn State athletics representatives all made more than University President Neeli Bendapudi, whose compensation package totaled just over $1.6 million for FY 2024-25.

Penn State's athletic department generated a net surplus of $223,679 during the 2024-25 fiscal year after setting records for revenue and expenses. Penn State sports generated total operating revenue of $254.9 million while spending nearly $254.7 million.

Penn State football accounted for $146.8 million of that revenue, lifted by the program's healthy attendance and an extra home game for hosting SMU in Round 1 of the College Football Playoff. Penn State also reported spending about $18.3 million on NIL payments for the fiscal year. Just over $13 million of that went to football.

A general view of Beaver Stadium following the game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

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