Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney is on tap to be the highest-paid college football coach for the 2024 cycle. Swinney will make $11 million before incentives this year.
Swinney’s ascent to the top of the salary list comes after the previous highest-paid coach, Nick Saban, retired as the head coach of Alabama football.
Several coaches now have a confirmed salary north of $10 million, including Kalen DeBoer, Kirby Smart, Steve Sarkisian, and Ryan Day. Not coincidentally, all four were in the College Football Playoff hunt in 2023.Â
It was not so long ago that top college football coaches only made $1 or $2 million.Â
Highest Paid College Football Coaches 2024
| Rank | Coach | School | Salary |
| 1 | Dabo Swinney | Clemson | $11 million |
| 2 | Kalen DeBoer | Alabama | $10.86 million |
| 3 | Kirby Smart | Georgia | $10.75 million |
| 4 | Steve Sarkisian | Texas | $10.3 million |
| 5 | Ryan Day | Ohio State | $10.21 million |
| 6 | Lincoln Riley | USC | $10(ish) million |
| 7 | Mike Norvell | Florida State | $9.86 million |
| 8 | Brian Kelly | LSU | $9.7 million |
| T-9 | Lane Kiffin | Ole Miss | $9 million |
| T-9 | Eli Drinkwitz | Missouri | $9 million |
| T-9 | Josh Heupel | Tennessee | $9 million |
| 12 | Mark Stoops | Kentucky | $8.6 million |
| 13 | Mike Gundy | Oklahoma State | $7.75 million |
| 14 | Luke Fickell | Wisconsin | $7.6 million |
| 15 | James Franklin | Penn State | $7.5 million |
| 16 | Billy Napier | Florida | $7.3 million |
Lincoln Riley Salary
Lincoln Riley is thought to make about $10 million annually as the head coach of USC.
Unlike many of the other top-paid college football coaches, who work for public universities, Riley works at a private school. That means USC is not required to comply with public disclosure laws that often reveal NCAA coaching salaries.
Unless USC or Riley himself elects to volunteer the details of his salary, college football fans are unlikely to ever know the exact figure he is paid.
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