College Football’s Lowest Paid Coaches Are Doing Surprisingly Well In 2025

College football is an arms race. Often the programs with the most money see the most success. We’ve seen it more than ever in the new era of NIL and the transfer portal.

Ohio State won the 2024 national title with a $20 million roster and a $12 million head coach. Teams like Texas and Oregon reaped the benefits of non-existent spending restrictions with College Football Playoff appearances, too.

A financial commitment is needed to win. Coaching salaries are included in that expense.

Three of the four highest paid college football coaches have won national titles. Those leaders weren’t always at the top, though.

Many started low, building success at less prominent stops. They’ve been able to buoy that success into a massive paycheck.

Lowest paid college football coaches in 2025.

There are a number of coaches that currently find themselves in that same position. Their salaries are not on par with college football’s top earners.

In many cases, though, that hasn’t prevented success. Below, we’ll take a look at the lowest paid coaches in each major conference. Their season results to this point might surprise you!

Four of the 10 coaches we’ve listed find themselves atop their respective league standings. Another is a game out while boasting a Top 10 national ranking.

Without further ado, here are the lowest paid college football coaches in each conference.

Lowest paid college football coaches in the ACC

Rhett Lashlee – $2.47 million

Lashlee is the lowest paid Power 4 coach in college football. Still, he’s experienced great success. The coach led SMU to a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. He could be on his way back this year.

The Mustangs are currently 5-2 and a perfect 3-0 in ACC play. Should they find themselves back in the conference championship this December, they could have another opportunity to compete for a national title.

Tony Elliott – $4.4 million

Elliott is in the midst of his best season at Virginia. He has the Cavaliers off to a 6-1 start with a spotless 3-0 ACC record.

That puts him in a three-way tie for first place in the league. Like the man mentioned before him, he’ll have a chance to book a College Football Playoff ticket with an ACC Championship.

Brent Key – $4.5 million

Key completes a trifecta of undefeated coaches in ACC play, joining Elliott and Lashlee. The three lowest paid coaches in the league are currently atop the standings.

Georgia Tech is 7-0 under Key’s leadership and 4-0 in conference action. He has the Yellow Jackets positioned in the Top 10 for the first time in a decade.

Lowest paid college football coaches in the Big 10

Deshaun Foster – $3.1 million

As good as the ACC’s lowest paid college football coaches have been, the Big 10’s have been equally as bad. Deshaun Foster was set to earn just over $3 million in his second season at UCLA. He no longer has a job.

Foster was fired after an 0-4 start. He was not given the chance to finish out Year 2 following a 5-7 output in his coaching debut. Interestingly enough, the Bruins have won three straight games after his firing. Maybe he was deserving of the league’s lowest salary.

Barry Odom – $6.05 million

Odom is in his first season at Purdue, which is unfortunately off to a poor start. Through seven games, the Boilermakers are 2-5. That includes an 0-4 mark in Big 10 play.

While he’s the second-lowest paid coach in the conference, his salary sits above that of 7 ACC counterparts and 9 Big XII leaders.

Lowest paid college football coaches in the Big 12

Brent Brennan – $3.4 million

Brennan has Arizona off to a 4-3 start in Year 2 of his tenure. Two of those losses have come by a combined nine points.

The Wildcats won’t contend for a Big 12 title in 2025. Still, it seems they will exceed preseason expectations. Brennan’s team currently sits even with or above those of more highly paid coaches like Deion Sanders and Scott Frost in the standings.

Rich Rodriguez – $3.6 million

Rodriguez is in his second head coaching stint at West Virginia. He is in Year 1 of a rebuild. The Mountaineers have struggled mightily on the field, losing each of their four conference games to this point.

With that said, they did knock off rival Pitt in the Backyard Brawl, so there is some positive to take away from his return to Morgantown. Still, he’ll likely remain on the lower end in terms of salary barring a major turnaround.

Scott Satterfield – $3.7 million

Satterfield is the third-lowest paid college football coach in the Big 12. His team sits atop the conference standings. Cincinnati is in a tie for first place alongside BYU with a perfect 4-0 league mark.

The Bearcats are 6-1 through seven matchups and poised for a potential spot in the Big 12 championship. If the program is able to make its second-ever College Football Playoff appearance, Satterfield might be in for a big raise.

Lowest paid college football coaches in the SEC

Clark Lea – $3.7 million

It’s not a surprise to see Vanderbilt’s football coach at the bottom of the SEC in terms of pay. It is surprising, however, to see the Commodores near the top of the league standings.

Lea has the team off to a 6-1 start following a win over LSU. Vanderbilt is ranked 10th in the AP Poll and a game out of first place in the SEC. Can he lead the ‘Dores to the College Football Playoff? If so, his contract will be in need of a renegotiation.

Jeff Lebby – $4.35 million

Lebby had Mississippi State off to a surprise 4-0 start in the 2025 season which included an upset win over a ranked Arizona State team. SEC play hasn’t been kind to the Bulldogs, but they’re still 4-3 on the year.

Two of those losses have come by one score, with one coming in overtime against Tennessee. They may not compete for a league title in 2025, but progress is certainly being seen.

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