The 15 Highest Paid College Football Coaches In 2025–And How They’re Doing So Far

College Football is a business that never stops booming. The NCAA alone raked in $1.3 billion in annual revenue three years ago and that number only goes up year after year.

At the top of the totem pole of NCAA sports is College Football and within that the coaches have been making insane amounts of money for years. These are the 15 highest paid college football coaches right now, in 2025, but are they currently the best?

The 15 Highest Paid College Football Coaches Right Now

The question of whether or not the highest paid college football coaches are ‘the best’ is subjective, of course. But we can take a look at their results on the field, both this season and last.

It is also worth stating up front that in some cases on-field success isn’t the biggest metric of program success. I’m speaking, of course, about the University of Colorado Buffaloes who made Deion Sanders one of the highest paid college football coaches in America. While they have still yet to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoffs the program is booming with recruits, ticket sales, public profile, and more. Now let’s get to the list!

T-15. Brent Venables, University of Oklahoma, $8.5 Million

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables is tied as the 15th highest paid coach in college football with an annual salary of $8.5 million. Currently, Sooners are 4-0 and 1-0 in SEC play but they still have games against Texas (Neutral), Ole Miss (Home), Tennessee (Away), Alabama (Away), Missouri (Home), and LSU (Home), giving Brent Venables one of the toughest remaining schedules in college football.

Venables has been head coach of the Sooners since 2022. Prior to that he was DC/LB Coach at Clemson and before that he was at Oklahoma and Kansas State. As a head coach, Brent Venables owns a 26–17 record overall and so far he is 0-3 in bowl games… Does that warrant being paid as the 15th highest paid coach in the game? This will be a crucial season for him. It got so bad last year he donated $1 million of his salary to his players.

T-15. James Franklin, Penn State University, $8.5 Million

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin is tied with Venables as the 15th highest paid college football coach right now with an annual salary of $8.5 million. Currently, PSU is ranked 7th in the AP Top 25 coming off a loss at home to Oregon who is now ranked #2.

James Franklin has been Penn State’s head coach since 2014. His name is often tossed around whenever other high profile programs are in need of a new coach but in this last massive shuffle he did receive a substantial upgrade.

As a head coach, Franklin is 128–58 overall, 8-7 in bowl games, and 2-1 in the College Football Playoffs. He led Penn State to a Big Ten Championship in 2016 and was head coach at Vanderbilt prior to joining Penn State. It is hard to imagine a Penn State fan that wouldn’t think Franklin deserves his pay check.

T-11. Mark Stoops, University of Kentucky, $9 Million

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops is in a 4-way tie among the highest paid college football coaches with an annual salary of $9 million. He has been head coach at the University of Kentucky since 2013 when he was hired away from Florida State as their Defensive Coordinator.

As a head coach, Mark Stoops holds a 69–75 (.479) record overall. But his first two seasons in Kentucky were horrid. He went 2-10, 5-7, and 5-7 in his first three seasons. Stoops was back to the losing ways last season with a 4-8 record and 1-7 in the SEC. It is hard to fathom why Kentucky shells out this much for those results.

T-11. Eliah Drinkwitz, University of Missouri, $9 Million

Tied at 11th with a $9 million annual salary is University of Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz who has been HC in Missouri since 2020. During his tenure, Drinkwitz holds a 55–25 (.679) record overall as a head coach including one season at App State where he won a Sun Belt title.

Missouri is off to a hot start this season. They are 5-0 with a win against South Carolina. Their next game is against #10 Alabama at home but Eliah has been a fantastic hire for them thus far. Missouri was 10-3 last season and 11-2 in 2023. I say he’s worth every penny.

T-11. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss, $9 Million

Lane Kiffin earns every penny of his $9 million. That ties him with the three others as the 11th highest paid college football coach.

He has elevated the Ole Miss program to a perennial threat in the SEC with a high-octane offense. I used to be the ultimate Lane Kiffin hater but he has completely won me over in recent years. Lane owns a 49–18 record as head coach at Ole Miss

T-11. Josh Heupel, University of Tennessee, $9 Million

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel rounds out the four coaches tied with a $9 million annual salary. He has been head coach in Knoxville since 2021 and was HC at UCF prior to that.

Heupel owns a 41–16 record at Tennessee and is 21-13 in SEC play which is huge. He also, notably, beat Bama at home and broke the losing streak which led to fans carrying the goal posts down to the river. He has earned his substantial paycheck thus far but Volunteers fans want to see him take it to the next level.

10. Brian Kelly, LSU, $9.9 Million

Former Notre Dame head coach and current LSU head coach, Brian Kelly, ranks 10th among the highest paid college football coaches with an annual salary of $9.9 million. He somehow kept the huge checks incoming even after losing to Florida State in back-to-back season openers.

Brian Kelly has a substantial history has head coach dating back to 1991. He’s been HC at Grand Valley State, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and now LSU with an overall head coaching record of 296-108-2. He is 9-5 in bowl games but 0-2 in the College Football Playoffs.

After losing to Ole Miss 24-19 last week, Brian Kelly’s LSU Tigers fell 9 spots in the rankings down to 13th. There is still plenty of time to turn the season around. Kelly will need to deliver results to LSU at some point, results beyond just another 10 win season.

9. Bill Belichick, University of North Carolina, $10 Million

In his first-ever season as a college football head coach, former Pats HC Bill Belichick debuted as the 9th highest paid coach in college football with a $10 million annual salary from the University of North Carolina.

UNC is 202 to start the season. They have been blown out by UCF (34-9) and TCU (48-14). Their next game is against Clemson which could prove to be their biggest loss of the season.

Belichick won’t last the full length of his contract in Chapel Hill. That seems obvious at this point in time.

8. Lincoln Riley, USC, $10.2 Million

Former Oklahoma head coach and current USC Trojans HC Lincoln Riley earns a $10.2 million annual salary making him the 8th highest paid coach in college football. He has an 85-25 overall record as a head coach, is 3-4 in bowl games, and 0-3 in the College Football Playoffs.

So far, Lincoln Riley’s record with the USC Trojans is a dismal 30–15. The Trojans went 11-3 in his first season there but have regressed season after season since. They were just 7-6 last season, his worst yet with USC. If this season goes sideways it won’t be long before there’s ‘buyout’ chatter among the boosters.

7. Kalen DeBoer, University of Alabama, $10.25 Million

Nick Saban’s replacement, Kalen DeBoer, is the 7th highest paid college football coach with an annual salary of $10.25 million.

He started the 2025 season with a loss against the Florida State Seminoles who were just 2-10 last season but DeBoer has already turned things around and the Crimson Tide are ranked 10th this week after an upset win against Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs.

Bama went 9–4 in Kalen DeBoer’s first season in Tuscaloosa. He has arguably the most demanding job in all of college sports, maybe in all of sports. Whatever he’s being paid, it’s enough to deal with working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

T-5. Steve Sarkisian, University of Texas-Austin, $10.8 Million

Steve Sarkisian has arguably the second most demanding job in all of college football as Head Coach of the Texas Longhorns and he earns $10.8 million annually for the demanding role. Sark has been head coach at UT since 2021 when he was hired away from Alabama where he was OC under Nick Saban.

Is Texas back? That is the question that gets constantly asked of his team. They are currently ranked 9th after a season opening loss to Ohio State, a 14-7 ugly game. But they have Arch Manning, only one loss, and this could be a great season for them.

As head coach at Texas, Steve Sarkisian is 41–18 overall but 2024 was a huge season for them. Texas was 13-3 with a win in the College Football Playoffs.

T-5. Deion Sanders, University of Colorado, $10.8 Million

Coach Prime, the former Florida State Seminole turned NFL star and MLB athlete, one of the most famous pro athletes of all time… There’s no shortage of accolades for this man other than ‘Elite College Football Coach’ because he has not proven that yet.

With a $10.8 million salary from the University of Colorado-Boulder, he is tied as the 5th highest paid coach in college football. Entering his third season as head coach of the Buffs, Coach Prime is 15-15 in Colorado but he is coming off a 9-4 season last year, a season where he had the Heisman Award winning athlete on the team so it’s hard to say where this season is headed.

He has raised the profile of the Colorado football program to heights it has not seen in decades. Money is pouring into the program. He is worth every penny they’re paying him even if he cannot put together a 10-win season (yet).

4. Dan Lanning, University of Oregon, $11 Million

Dan Lanning earns his $11 million annual salary as the best college football coach on the West Coast. He has been head coach at Oregon since 2022 when he left Georgia as Offensive Coordinator to head West and try and win the Oregon Ducks their first-ever national championship.

Lanning is 40–6 as head coach at Oregon. He only has six (!!) losses in 4 seasons. Oregon just beat Penn State on the road and moved to #2 in the rankings. Dan Lanning is doing all the right things with Oregon, earning every penny of his $11M salary,he just needs to win them a natty at some point.

3. Dabo Swinney, Clemson University, $11.5 Million

Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney is the third highest paid coach in College Football with an annual salary of $11.5 million. Is Clemson currently ranked? No. They are 1-3 this season with losses to Syracuse, Georgia Tech, and LSU.

But Dabo Swinney has earned his salary in the past. He’s been head coach of Clemson since 2009, holds a 181-50 record over that span, and has won two National Championships with the Tigers (2016, 2018). But the success has slowed down considerably in the NIL area and it remains to be seen if Dabo Swinney has the chops to coach and recruit in the new era of College Football.

2. Ryan Day, Ohio State University, $12.5 Million

Ohio State University head coach Ryan Day is the reigning national champion and the second highest paid coach in the game with a $12.5 million salary. By winning the 2024 National Championship Ryan Day made it clear he is worth the money.

The Buckeyes can afford any coach they want. They are the most prestigious program outside of the South. Ryan Day might not be able to beat Michigan but he can win it all and that’s what matters in Columbus.

1. Kirby Smart, University of Georgia, $13 Million

The highest paid college football coach in the land is Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart, a former acolyte of Nick Saban where he was defensive coordinator of the Crimson Tide from 2008-2015. He has been head coach at Georgia since 2016 and won back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022.

In his time at Georgia, Kirby Smart has also won 3 SEC Championships and holds a 108–20 record overall. His teams are 5-2 in the College Football Playoffs and there is no reason I can fathom that he shouldn’t be the highest paid college football coach in the country with his recent resume.

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Note: Salary figures for this article came from USA Today and FOS.