College Football Head Coach Salary Rankings Ahead of 2026 Season

The college football coaching carousel this offseason was as eventful as they come.

When the dust settled, there were 33 FBS head coaching changes made with notable names such as Lane Kiffin (LSU), James Franklin (Virginia Tech) and Matt Campbell (Penn State) all taking new jobs.

With so many coaches on the move and a slew of others getting massive extensions for successful seasons, the highest-paid coaching rankings saw a bit of a shakeup. As shared to social media by DraftKings, Indiana's Curt Cignetti is now the highest-paid coach in the sport following the team's 16-0 season, surpassing notable names such as Kirby Smart and Lane Kififn.

As reported by ESPN's Pete Thamel on Friday, Indiana inked Cignetti to a new deal that will see him get paid around $13.2 million per year.

"Per an ESPN source, Curt Cignetti has agreed to a new deal at Indiana that pushes his annual salary up to $13.2 milliomn," wrote Thamel. "The deal will go through 2033. Hoosiers have been the ultimate aggressors in keeping Cignetti."

Google him.

Curt Cignetti is the highest-paid college football coach in 2026. pic.twitter.com/gtk81CqhZd
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) February 20, 2026

It is worth noting that Kiffin, who left Ole Miss before their College Football Playoff run, is the only coach to rank within the top five to not have a title to his name. With that being said, the offensive guru was the hottest commodity on the open market, with both Florida and LSU pushing hard for his services.

This list also features a couple of coaches in Dabo Swinney and Lincoln Riley, who may be on the hot seat heading into 2026. Swinney's Clemson Tigers went 7-6 despite returning the most production in college football, while Riley's Trojans finished 9-4 as frustrations with his lack of title contention in Los Angeles continue to rise.

Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti. — Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti stands with his hands on his hips. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The other name on the list that certainly caught a lot of attention was Colorado's Deion Sanders, who has a 16-21 record in these years in Boulder, yet still makes $10.8 million per year. While this may seem like an overpay to some, Sanders' impact goes well beyond the football field.

According to USA TODAY, he has generated $3 billion in "publicity value," with the program making $31.2 million alone in ticket sales during his first season on the job. Sanders has also been able to attract top talent to Boulder, with the most notable example being last year's Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick, Travis Hunter.

While it pays well to be a college football coach at a major program, the responsibilities that come with the job make these coaches earn every cent of their contract. With so much talent movement via the portal this offseason, it'll be interesting to see if this list changes drastically in a year from now.