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As television revenue increases for conferences and the NCAA, and demand increases for schools to compete for national championships, salaries for the head coaches are skyrocketing.
This year we have a new highest-paid coach in college football as Jim Harbaugh has surpassed Nick Saban.
Using data collected by USA Today and other sources, here are the highest-paid college football coaches for the 2016 season. You can see the full list at USA Today.
25. Chris Petersen — $3.61 million
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School: Washington
Conference: Pac-12
School Salary: $3.60 million
Other Pay: $5,847
Potential Bonus: $1.18 million
Championships (conference/national): 5/0
One thing to know: Washington lured Peterson away from Boise State in 2013 by making him the highest-paid coach in the Pac-12, a distinction he no longer holds. That could change soon though as Peterson has turned the Huskies into a legitimate College Football Playoff contender.
24. Kyle Whittingham — $3.65 million
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School: Utah
Conference: Pac-12
School Salary: $3.65 million
Other Pay: $0
Potential Bonus: $935,000
Championships (conference/national): 5/0
One thing to know: In 2004, Urban Meyer left Utah for the University of Florida. Whittingham, who was the defensive coordinator under Meyer, had to choose between being promoted to head coach at Utah and accepting the same position at his alma mater, BYU. He stayed at Utah and is now in his 12th season, having led the Utes to nine bowl games.
23. Kirby Smart — $3.75 million
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School: Georgia
Conference: SEC
School Salary: $3.75 million
Other Pay: $0
Potential Bonus: $1.8 million
Championships (conference/national): 5/0
One thing to know: Smart is in his first season as a head coach, having spent the last eight seasons as the defensive coordinator at Alabama under Nick Saban. Smart was a defensive back for the Bulldogs in the late 90s.
22. Mike Gundy — $3.78 million
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School: Oklahoma State
Conference: Big 12
School Salary: $3.78 million
Other Pay: not reported
Potential Bonus: $550,000
Championships (conference/national): 1/0
One thing to know: Mike Gundy recently signed an extension that has him signed through the 2021 season. However, Gundy does not seem to have the support of the school’s biggest booster, T. Boone Pickens. When Pickens was recently asked if there is rift between him and Gundy, Pickens said, “I don’t know, but Mike doesn’t handle people relationships very well. And he gets mad about things. I’ve heard he’s written some notes about me that weren’t very complimentary.”
21. Bobby Petrino — $3.91 million
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School: Louisville
Conference: ACC
School Salary: $3.88 million
Other Pay: $30,000
Potential Bonus: $1.46 million
Championships (conference/national): 1/0
One thing to know: In 2007, Petrino left Louisville just months after signing a 10-year contract extension, accepting the head coaching job for the Atlanta Falcons. Petrino is now back at Louisville and speculation is rampant that he will leave again to accept a position in the SEC.
20. Gary Patterson — $4.01 million
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School: Texas Christian
Conference: Big 12
School Salary: $4.01 million
Other Pay: not reported
Potential Bonus: not reported
Championships (conference/national): 6/0
One thing to know: When Patterson took over TCU in 2000, they were in the WAC conference. Since then, they have moved to Conference USA, the Mountain West, and now into an annual championship contender as a member of one of the lucrative Power-5 conferences, the Big 12.
19. David Shaw — $4.07 million
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School: Stanford
Conference: Pac-12
School Salary: $4.07 million
Other Pay: not reported
Potential Bonus: not reported
Championships (conference/national): 3/0
One thing to know: Shaw is now in his sixth season as Stanford’s coach after replacing Jim Harbaugh in 2011. Shaw had served as Harbaugh’s offensive coordinator after nine seasons as an assistant coach in the NFL.
18. Butch Jones — $4.11 million
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School: Tennessee
Conference: SEC
School Salary: $4.11 million
Other Pay: not reported
Potential Bonus: $1.0 million
Championships (conference/national): 4/0
One thing to know: Despite already being under contract through 2018, the Vols gave Jones an extension at the end of the 2014 season and another $500,000 raise at the end of the 2015 season. His contract runs through 2020.
17. Bret Bielema — $4.15 million
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School: Arkansas
Conference: SEC
School Salary: $4.10 million
Other Pay: $45,000
Potential Bonus: $1.00 million
Championships (conference/national): 3/0
One thing to know: Bielema averaged 10 wins per year in seven seasons at Wisconsin. In his first three seasons at Arkansas he averaged six wins. Despite that, Arkansas gave him an extension prior to the 2015 season that will go through the 2020 season.
16. Dan Mullen — $4.20 million
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School: Mississippi State
Conference: SEC
School Salary: $4.20 million
Other Pay: $0
Potential Bonus: $900,000
Championships (conference/national): 0/0
One thing to know: Mullen is from the Urban Meyer coaching tree, having served under the Ohio State coach at both Utah and Florida. After leading Mississippi State to their fifth-straight bowl game, he was given an extension following the 2014 season.
15. Jim McElwain — $4.27 million
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School: Florida
Conference: SEC
School Salary: $4.27 million
Other Pay: $0
Potential Bonus: $450,000
Championships (conference/national): 0/0
One thing to know: After turning a three-win Colorado State program into a 10-win team in just three years in his first head-coaching gig, the Gators snatched up McElwain. He is now the sixth-highest-paid coach in the SEC.
14. Mark Dantonio — $4.30 million
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School: Michigan State
Conference: Big Ten
School Salary: $4.30 million
Other Pay: $0
Potential Bonus: $650,000
Championships (conference/national): 3/0
One thing to know: Despite all his success and building an annual championship contender, Dantonio is just the fifth-highest-paid coach in the Big Ten.
13. Les Miles — $4.39 million
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School: Louisiana State
Conference: SEC
School Salary: $4.30 million
Other Pay: $85,567
Potential Bonus: $700,000
Championships (conference/national): 3/0
One thing to know: After nearly being fired near the end of the 2015 season, Miles was let go after just four games this season.
12. Dabo Swinney — $4.42 million
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School: Clemson
Conference: ACC
School Salary: $4.42 million
Other Pay: $5,200
Potential Bonus: $1.73 million
Championships (conference/national): 2/0
One thing to know: Swinney was a wide receiver for the 1992 Alabama team that won the National Championship and started his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Crimson Tide. He left for Clemson when Mike Shula became the head coach at Bama.
10t. James Franklin — $4.50 million
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School: Penn State
Conference: Big Ten
School Salary: $4.50 million
Other Pay: not reported
Potential Bonus: $1.00 million
Championships (conference/national): 0/0
One thing to know: It took a lot of money to lure Franklin away from Vanderbilt and the SEC after Bill O’Brien abandoned Penn State after just two years. But so far it appears to be a good move. After back-to-back 7-6 seasons and a 2-2 start in 2016, Franklin has Penn State back in the top 25 after an upset win over No. 2 Ohio State.
10t. Kirk Ferentz — $4.50 million
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School: Iowa
Conference: Big Ten
School Salary: $4.50 million
Other Pay: $0
Potential Bonus: $2.88 million
Championships (conference/national): 2/0
One thing to know: In an era when 72% of college coaches are gone within their first five seasons at a school, Ferentz has now been the head coach at Iowa for 18 seasons. He and Bob Stoops are the longest-tenured coaches in FBS, and Ferentz recently signed a new extension that will keep at Iowa until at least 2026.
9. Hugh Freeze — $4.70 million
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School: Mississippi
Conference: SEC
School Salary: $4.70 million
Other Pay: $3,500
Potential Bonus: $1.23 million
Championships (conference/national): 1/0
One thing to know: Freeze received an extension following the 2014 season and another one this past summer that has him under contract through 2019. After reaching No. 3 in the AP poll in each of the past two seasons, Ole Miss is in danger of missing out on a bowl game this season.
8. Gus Malzahn — $4.73 million
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School: Auburn
Conference: SEC
School Salary: $4.73 million
Other Pay: $4,500
Potential Bonus: $1.40 million
Championships (conference/national): 2/0
One thing to know: Malzahn led Auburn to the BCS Championship game in his first season as head coach at Auburn. That earned him an early extension. But since then, Auburn is just 20-13 in 2.5 seasons. Still, Auburn gave Malzahn another extension this past summer that has him under contract through 2020.
7. Kevin Sumlin — $5.00 million
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School: Texas A&M
Conference: SEC
School Salary: $5.00 million
Other Pay: not reported
Potential Bonus: $1.35 million
Championships (conference/national): 0/0
One thing to know: With all the wealthy alumni opening their wallets, the rich Texas recruiting pool, and the allure of the SEC, it can be argued that Sumlin has the best coaching job in college football. Of course, eventually pressure will mount, and the school is going to want more than just eight to nine wins per season.
6. Charlie Strong — $5.20 million
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School: Texas
Conference: Big 12
School Salary: $5.20 million
Other Pay: $130
Potential Bonus: $1.01 million
Championships (conference/national): 2/0
One thing to know: In 112 seasons before Charlie Strong, Texas had 13 losing seasons. Strong is on his way to his third losing season in three years. Reports have already emerged saying Texas will fire Strong after the season.
5. Jimbo Fisher — $5.25 million
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School: Florida State
Conference: ACC
School Salary: $5.25 million
Other Pay: not reported
Potential Bonus: $1.48 million
Championships (conference/national): 3/1
One thing to know: Before becoming head coach at Florida State, Fisher learned under some notable head coaches, serving as an assistant for Bobby Bowden, Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Terry Bowden at different times.
Things might have been much different for Fisher if the University of Alabama board of trustees did not reject his contract to become head coach at Alabama-Birmingham in 2007. Nowadays, Fisher says he is glad they did. Now the question is whether or not Fisher leaves FSU to fill the vacancy at LSU.
4. Bob Stoops — $5.55 million
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School: Oklahoma
Conference: Big 12
School Salary: $5.55 million
Other Pay: $0
Potential Bonus: $834,000
Championships (conference/national): 9/1
One thing to know: Stoops has never had a losing season in 18 seasons as a head coach. Stoops has a storied coaching pedigree having served under Hayden Fry (who has one of the all-time great coaching trees), Bill Snyder (another Fry disciple), and Steve Spurrier. Stoops and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz are now the longest-tenured coaches in FBS.
3. Urban Meyer — $6.09 million
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- Urban Meyer says there are not enough scholarships for an eight-team playoff.
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School: Ohio State
Conference: Big Ten
School Salary: $6.00 million
Other Pay: $91,800
Potential Bonus: $775,000
Championships (conference/national): 5/3
One thing to know: After Meyer won his third national championship as a head coach during the 2014 season, he was rewarded with an extension, and yet he is still just the second-highest-paid coach in the Big Ten.
2. Nick Saban — $6.94 million
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School: Alabama
Conference: SEC
School Salary: $6.94 million
Other Pay: not reported
Potential Bonus: $700,000
Championships (conference/national): 7/5
One thing to know: For highly successful coaches like Saban it can be difficult to determine just how much their job is worth financially. For example, shortly after flirting with the University of Texas in 2014, Saban got a new deal with Alabama and also had the $3 million mortgage on his house paid off by a foundation backed by University of Alabama boosters.
1. Jim Harbaugh — $9.00 million
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School: Michigan
Conference: Big Ten
School Salary: $9.00 million
Other Pay: not reported
Potential Bonus: $1.33 million
Championships (conference/national): 0/0
One thing to know: Harbaugh’s $5.0 million salary was raised to $7.0 million just prior to the start of his second season as Michigan’s coach. The extra $2.0 million comes in the form of an insurance-premium payment by the school on a life insurance policy in Harbaugh’s name. The school will make two payments this year (June and December), raising Harbaugh’s total compensation in 2016 to $9.0 million.
According to the Detroit Free-Press, the school gets its money back without interest when Harbaugh dies. However, the death benefit is estimated be worth at least $20 million to his family.
Now check out which schools make the most money in sports.
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The 25 schools that make the most money in college sports
Het bericht The 25 highest-paid coaches in college football verscheen eerst op Business Insider.