Big Ten football coach 2023 salary rankings: Where does Wisconsin's Luke Fickell rank?
USA Today Sports' coaching salary database just released for 2023, and new Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell finds himself comfortably among college football's highest paid coaches, including in the Big Ten.
Fickell, who was hired by Wisconsin this offseason, had unprecedented success in six years at Cincinnati for a Group of 5 program, leading the Bearcats to the College Football Playoff in 2021, two AAC championships and three 11-win seasons.
The Badgers are off to a 3-1 (1-0 Big Ten) start to Fickell's first season at the helm.
Here's everything you need to know about where he ranks among the Big Ten's (and collge football's) highest paid coaches:
REQUIRED READING: Off week gave Badgers time to focus on their weaknesses before preparing for Rutgers
How much does Luke Fickell make at Wisconsin in 2023?
Fickell ranks 13th among all college football coaches with his $7.625 million salary for the 2023 college football season. He comes in just behind Michigan's Jim Harbaugh and just ahead of Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy on the list.
Big Ten football coach salary rankings 2023
Fickell ranks fifth among Big Ten coaches, behind Ohio State's Ryan Day, Michigan State's Mel Tucker (he has since been fired for cause, meaning Michigan State does not intend to pay him his salary), Penn State's James Franklin and Harbaugh. He is the highest-paid coach in the current Big Ten West division, just ahead of Iowa's Kirk Ferentz.
Two of the coaches ahead of Fickell — Day and Harbaugh — have made the Playoff. Three — Day, Harbaugh and Franklin — have won the Big Ten. Of the conference's four first-year head coaches — Fickell, Purdue's Ryan Walters, Nebraska's Matt Rhule and Northwestern's David Braun — Fickell is the highest paid (although Braun's salary information was not made public for the database).
REQUIRED READING: Can Luke Fickell flourish in his first season at Wisconsin? History suggests he will.
Ryan Day, Ohio State: $10,196,250
Mel Tucker, Michigan State: $10,015,350*
James Franklin, Penn State: $8,500,000
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan: $8,194,000
Luke Fickell, Wisconsin: $7,625,000
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa: $7,000,000
Bret Bielema, Illinois: $6,500,000
P.J. Fleck, Minnesota: $6,000,000
Matt Rhule, Nebraska: $5,500,000
Mike Locksley, Maryland: $5,500,000
Tom Allen, Indiana: $4,510,000
Ryan Walters, Purdue: $4,000,000
Greg Schiano, Rutgers: $4,000,000
David Braun, Northwestern: unknown**
*Tucker is in the process of being fired for cause by Michigan State. He will likely not receive the full payout of his contract.
**Northwestern is a private university and thus is not required to make contract information public.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Big Ten football salary rankings: Where does UW's Luke Fickell rank?
