College football head coach salary rankings: Overpaid, underpaid and Kirby Smart's gobsmacking buyout

Despite Clemson's recent struggles, Dabo Swinney's standing at No. 4 in USA Today's recently updated coaches salary database adds up. He is a two-time national champion, and two of three coaches ranked ahead of him -- Kirby Smart of Georgia and Ryan Day of Ohio State -- have also won national titles.

But in college football's exclusive $11 million club, there is one head-scratcher. Fourth-year USC coach Lincoln Riley slots in at No. 3 overall in total pay at $11.5 million, despite the fact that he's yet to lead USC to a conference title or College Football Playoff appearance.

Those shortcomings for Riley underscore the significance of the two-week stretch that lies ahead for the 42-year old former Oklahoma coach. First up is a physical test against No. 15 Michigan followed by a rivalry showdown on the road against No. 16 Notre Dame.

After going just 13-11 over the past two seasons, Riley looks like one of college football's most egregiously overpaid coaches. However, wins against the Wolverines and Fighting Irish would bulldoze that notion and eradicate the narrative that Riley's teams are soft. It's potentially a tenure-defining stretch.

Riley isn't the only head coach whose compensation seems out of line with their accomplishments. Though USA Today's salary database does not include the pay for many head coaches at private institutions, it does provide an excellent overview of where things stand in the coaching business. 

College football head coach salary rankings: Ohio State's Ryan Day, UNC's Bill Belichick crack top 10 in 2025

Cody Nagel

Poor ROI

These coaches are glaring examples of poor return on investment for the schools where they are employed.

Lincoln Riley, USC
No. 3 ($11.5 million)
Dan Lanning, James Franklin and Curt Cignetti all went to the CFP last season with Big Ten teams and make less than Riley, who finished 7-6 with a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl. This is an incredible amount of money to shell out for a quarterbacks coach who has rarely, if ever, fielded a team with the physicality required to compete for a national championship. Riley can rewrite the narrative over the next two weeks against Michigan and Notre Dame. But until he does, he's an easy fit in the overpaid category.

Bill Belichick, North Carolina 
No. 9 ($10.1 million) 
If North Carolina's decision makers abide by the policy that any publicity is good publicity, then hiring Bill Belichick has been a smashing success. If they were more interested in fielding a quality football team, then it's been an absolute disaster. That he's paid significantly more than Miami's Mario Cristobal and Indiana's Curt Cignetti seems particularly absurd, as both those coaches are leading unbeaten teams ranked in the top 10.

Jamey Chadwell, Liberty
No. 44 ($5.9 million)
Chadwell surged into coaching stardom during a wildly successful run with Coastal Carolina that made him a popular name on Power Four hot boards. Instead, he became the highest-paid coach in the Group of Six at Liberty and inherited a successful program from Hugh Freeze. But the Flames are now embroiled in a rapid decline. Since a 13-1 debut campaign for Chadwell in 2023 capped by a Fiesta Bowl trip, the Flames are just 9-8. They are off to a 1-4 start in 2025, and all of those losses are by 10+ points. Those are some massive paychecks for bad G6 results.

Raises coming

Based on hot starts in 2025, these coaches are in line for raises.

Mario Cristobal, Miami
No. 17 ($8.3 million)
It took a second, but Cristobal has Miami humming in Year 4. The Hurricanes are the runaway favorite to win the ACC and are a bona fide national title contender. Barring a significant collapse from his team, Cristobal should expect a significant bump for 2026. Only nine coaches in the database are surpassing $10 million in total pay this year. Given how things are going in Coral Gables, Cristobal should probably be in that club next season. He was overpaid while going 12-13 over his first two seasons, but Cristobal is finally showing that prying him away from Oregon was worth it.

Brent Venables, Oklahoma
No. 23 ($7.5 million)
So much of Oklahoma's success -- and consequently the perception of Venables' tenure -- seems to be riding on the successful return of quarterback John Mateer. If the Washington State transfer is healthy enough to guide the Sooners into the CFP, then look for Venables to get a nice bump. His defense is absolutely filthy, and the hire of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle (also from Washington State) has paid immediate dividends. The remaining schedule is treacherous, but Venables is looking like a coach who should be better-compensated than Kentucky's Mark Stoops.

Mike Elko, Texas A&M
No. 32 ($7 million)
After Jimbo Fisher's disastrous tenure and subsequent record-setting buyout, it's no wonder Texas A&M didn't go right back to paying eight figures for a football coach. But if what we're seeing so far from Elko is any indication, he may be commanding that sort of salary soon. The Aggies are 5-0 (2-0 SEC) with a win at Notre Dame under their belt entering a home showdown this week against Florida. Signs of improvement were evident in Elko's first season, and even more are materializing in 2025.

Tony Elliott, Virginia
No. 54 ($4.4 million)
Virginia is 5-1 (3-0 ACC), ranked for the first time since 2019 and has already earned its first home win over a top-10 team in 20 years. It would be fair to surmise that a bump in pay is heading Elliott's way. The Cavaliers shouldn't go crazy here, because no one else is busting down the doors to hire Elliott. But he's taking advantage of a favorable schedule and showing legitimate progress.

Will they pay?

The following coaches are interesting case studies. Their performance is deserving of a bump. But how much are their current schools willing/able to pay?

Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State
No. 25 ($7.4 million)
Dillingham didn't play football for Arizona State, but he did attend ASU and start his collegiate coaching journey there. The school gave him a raise of nearly $2 million annually after he guided the Sun Devils to a Big 12 title and CFP appearance last season. Though he still ranks just 25th in total pay among those included in the database, he's already up to second in the Big 12 behind Deion Sanders at Colorado. 

At 35, Dillingham is extraordinarily young to be a Power Four head coach and has plenty of time to rise the charts. If the Sun Devils remain perennial Big 12 contenders under his direction, it's only a matter of time before a big-time Big Ten or SEC school tries to make Dillingham a member of the $10 million club.

Matt Campbell, Iowa State
No. 47 ($5 million)
Campbell is in Year 10 at Iowa State and is just one victory away from securing an eighth bowl bid. Last year's 11-3 record signified a program-record for victories, and the Cyclones could match that mark in 2025. He's still just 45 and has proven over the past decade that he's one of the sport's premier program builders. Yet, Campbell's salary languishes behind many of his Big 12 peers and would be 14th in the SEC.

Joey McGuire, Texas Tech
No. 51 ($4.5 million)
If Texas Tech wins the Big 12 and reaches the College Football Playoff, it will be interesting to see how McGuire is rewarded. The Red Raiders' improvement can be traced directly to a blockbuster spending spree on talent. Though McGuire is the coach and certainly deserving of credit for directing the on-field product, he's not a program-defining leader in the same way that most coaches of top-10 teams are. There's no doubt he's destined for a raise, but is a Texas Tech program that's determined to spend big on talent also willing to spend big on coaching? 

Clark Lea, Vanderbilt
No. 57 ($3.7 million)
While quarterback Diego Pavia is the heart and soul of the Vanderbilt program, Lea is the architect and has done a great job of building out a competitive roster around Pavia. Vandy is Lea's alma mater, and it's no secret that adores the university and that the job holds deep personal significance. But money talks, and there could soon be administrators who would be interested in doubling Lea's pay to get him out of Nashville and moving on up the coaching ladder.

Buyout bonanza

Kirby Smart's buyout is the only nine-figure sum in the database at $105.1 million. Not that Smart needs a buyout to boost his job security as he has Georgia among the titans of the sport, but it would be nice knowing it would cost your employer over $100 million to fire you. Perhaps that type of money is going to keep the 49-year-old Smart from ever retiring early, which he seems to float annually. 

 Among the notable names with buyouts of $35+ million are Kentucky's Mark Stoops ($37.7 million), Penn State's James Franklin ($48.7 million) and Clemson's Swinney ($60 million). Things aren't going well for those programs, but making moves would be extraordinarily expensive.