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College football head coaches at public schools earn over $12.2 million in bonuses for season

Steve Berkowitz, USA TODAY
·14 min read
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With all of the team trophies handed out and all of the final poll votes counted Tuesday, college football head coaches at Bowl Subdivision public schools hit benchmarks this season worth just over $12.2 million in bonuses, according to tracking by USA TODAY Sports based on contracts acquired through open-records requests.

That figure does not take into account the guaranteed value of automatic contract extensions that nine coaches picked up this season and will be worth at least $24 million in later years. (A 10th coach, Kentucky's Mark Stoops, was one win from an extension when his contract was renegotiated in a fashion that was much more lucrative than what would have been required when the Wildcats later got the additional win.)

A year ago, the single-year bonus total was nearly $13.6 million. But this was the first time that a private-school team advanced to the College Football Playoff championship game since the CFP format began in the 2014 season, and TCU coach Sonny Dykes' bonus total — like the other terms of his contract — is not publicly available.

FINAL COACHES POLL: Georgia finishes at No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

LOOKING AHEAD: Georgia leads way-too-early Top 25 for next season

BEST OF BEST: LSU leads list of the best College Football Playoff champs

GOOD LUCK: Georgia machine has rest of college football chasing Bulldogs

For the season, the top public-school bonus totals belong to:

►Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh: $2.05 million. Under the terms of his contract, because he was the Wolverines' coach on the dates on which he or the team accomplished the achievement that gave him the bonuses, he will be entitled to the money even if he leaves Michigan for an NFL job.

Harbaugh also earned more than $2 million in bonuses last season. But he redirected more than $1.5 million of that to Michigan athletics department employees who had taken pandemic-related pay cuts during an 11-month stretch of 2020 and 2021 and had remained on the payroll.

►Georgia's Kirby Smart: $1.35 million. This is the second time that Smart has finished with more than $1 million in bonuses. He also did so in 2017, when the Bulldogs won the SEC championship and lost in the CFP title game to Alabama.

Last season's CFP championship resulted in Smart getting $850,000 in bonuses. Under his contract terms at the time, he had a smaller maximum bonus amount available than he did this season when a new agreement took effect. In addition, the Bulldogs did not win the Southeastern Conference title, which they did this season.

►Utah's Kyle Whittingham: $650,000. In addition, Whittingham is due a $75,000 bonus based on the team’s recently published NCAA Graduation Success Rate.

►LSU's Brian Kelly: $575,000. Under his 10-year, $100 million contract, Kelly also gets a $500,000 bonus in each season in which the Tigers play in any bowl game.

►Clemson's Dabo Swinney: $400,000.

A full, school-by-school list follows. It is alphabetical, by school, and shows amounts coaches achieved prior to leaving for other positions or being fired. In either of those cases, the amounts still may be owed to the coach.

It does not include bonuses and/or pay increases for assistant coaches, staff and athletics directors that also may be resulting from these achievements. It also does not include bonuses for team academic achievements.

Alabama: Nick Saban

►$65,000: Sixth win, eligible for bowl game not among the six connected to the College Football Playoff

►$25,000: 8-2 record (5-2 in conference play) assures that team will be playing in one of Southeastern Conference's Pool of Six bowl games

►$110,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal game

Appalachian State: Shawn Clark

►$20,000: Competitive scheduling – played guarantee game at home stadium of Power 5 Conference opponent (Texas A&M)

Arkansas: Sam Pittman

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Play in Southeastern Conference Pool of Six bowl game (Liberty)

►One-year contract extension; $250,000 raise, beginning next season: Seventh win, with that win coming in bowl game against Power 5 Conference team or team ranked in top 25 in Coaches or Associated Press polls (Kansas). (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $6.75 million, with $3.375 million guaranteed.)

Boise State: Andy Avalos

►$15,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$10,000: Sixth win in Mountain West Conference play

►$10,000: Seventh win in Mountain West play

►$25,000: Win at least share of Mountain West division title, play in MWC title game

►$10,000: Eighth win in Mountain West play

►$25,000: Mountain West coach of the year

►$10,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

Buffalo: Maurice Linguist

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$35,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

California: Justin Wilcox

►$25,000: Win over Stanford

Central Florida: Gus Malzahn

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Will play in American Athletic Conference title game

Cincinnati: Luke Fickell

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Clemson: Dabo Swinney

►$75,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game with at least eight wins

►$50,000: Win Atlantic Coast Conference division title, play in conference title game

►$200,000: Win ACC title game

►$75,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal by winning ACC title game

Coastal Carolina: Jamey Chadwell

►$150,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$200,000: Win at least share of Sun Belt Conference division title, play in conference title game

Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell expresses disagreement to an official in the third quarter against Southern Mississippi.
Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell expresses disagreement to an official in the third quarter against Southern Mississippi.

Connecticut: Jim Mora

►$25,000: Sixth win

►$50,000: Play in non-CFP bowl game

East Carolina: Mike Houston

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Eastern Michigan: Chris Creighton

►$15,000: Victory over Power 5 opponent (Arizona State)

►One-year contract extension; $10,000 raise, beginning next season; $25,000 bonus this season: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game (Because team played in, and won, bowl game, agreement set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season would be at least $620,000.)

►$10,000: Seventh regular season win

►$2,500: Eighth regular season win

►$15,000: Tie for Mid-American Conference division title, but not advancing to MAC title game

►$25,000 bonus this season, additional $10,000 raise, beginning next season (see above for impact on total pay): Win non-CFP bowl game

Florida: Billy Napier

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Florida State: Mike Norvell

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Fresno State: Jeff Tedford

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Win Mountain West Conference division title, play in conference title game

►$40,000: Seventh regular season win

►$20,000: Eighth regular season win

►$25,000: Win Mountain West title game

►$25,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

Georgia: Kirby Smart

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: 8-0 record assures that team will be playing in one of SEC's top seven non-CFP bowl games

►$100,000: Win at least share of SEC division title, will play in conference title game

►$100,000: 12-0 record assures that team will be playing in one of six games affiliated with the College Football Playoff

►$200,000: Win SEC title game

►$325,000: Play in CFP semifinal

►$50,000: SEC coach of the year (coaches' vote)

►$250,000: Win CFP semifinal

►$250,000: Win CFP title game

Georgia Southern: Clay Helton

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Houston: Dana Holgorsen

►$10,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$10,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

Illinois: Bret Bielema

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$75,000: Play in Citrus or ReliaQuest bowl (ReliaQuest)

Iowa: Kirk Ferentz

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

James Madison: Curt Cignetti

►$10,000: First Sun Belt Conference win in school history

►$20,000: Sixth win

►$25,000: Seventh win against FBS opponents

Kansas: Lance Leipold

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Kansas State: Chris Klieman

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2028. Scheduled total pay for that season is $4.3 million, with nearly all of that amount guaranteed.)

►$75,000: Finish second or tied for second in Big 12 Conference

►$25,000: Win Big 12 title game

►$50,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal game by winning Big 12 title game

►$50,000: Team in top 10 of final CFP rankings (No. 9)

Kentucky: Mark Stoops

►100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

LSU: Brian Kelly

►$500,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$75,000: Win at least share of Southeastern Conference division title, play in conference title game

LSU coach Brian Kelly reacts to a play against Mississippi during the first half at Tiger Stadium.
LSU coach Brian Kelly reacts to a play against Mississippi during the first half at Tiger Stadium.

Louisville: Scott Satterfield

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Marshall: Charles Huff

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Seventh regular season win

Maryland: Mike Locksley

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension, and $100,000 bonus this season: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $4.5 million, with $2.925 million guaranteed.)

►$70,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

Memphis: Ryan Silverfield

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

Miami (Ohio): Chuck Martin

►$23,335: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Michigan: Jim Harbaugh

►$500,000: Win Big Ten Conference division title, will play in conference title game

►$50,000: Big Ten coach of the year (coaches' vote)

►$1,000,000: Win Big Ten title game

►$500,000: Play in CFP semifinals

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh secured $500,000 for the Wolverines winning the Big Ten Conference East Division and a berth in the Big Ten title game.
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh secured $500,000 for the Wolverines winning the Big Ten Conference East Division and a berth in the Big Ten title game.

Middle Tennessee State: Rick Stockstill

►$68,475: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win, which assures that team will finish with winning overall record (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2029. Scheduled total pay for that season would be just over $900,000, with just over $820,000 guaranteed.)

Minnesota: P.J. Fleck

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$100,000: Eighth regular season win

►$50,000: Win non-CFP bowl game over Power 5 Conference team (Syracuse)

Mississippi: Lane Kiffin

►$100,000: Regular season win over non-conference Power 5 team (Georgia Tech)

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement set to run through Dec. 31, 2026. According to a recent term sheet from the university, Kiffin's annual pay for the 2026 contract year is scheduled to be at least $7.55 million, beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The guaranteed value of the additional year is not available because that is determined, in part, by an agreement with the Ole Miss Athletic Foundation, a private, non-profit organization that declines to provide that agreement.)

►$50,000: Play in Southeastern Conference Pool of Six bowl game (Texas)

Mississippi State: Mike Leach

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Play in Southeastern Conference Pool of Six bowl game (ReliaQuest)

Missouri: Eliah Drinkwitz

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

North Carolina: Mack Brown

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$200,000: Win at least share of ACC division title, play in conference title game         

North Carolina State: Dave Doeren

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Eighth win

►$50,000: Team from No. 25 to No. 16 in final CFP rankings (No. 23)

North Texas: Seth Littrell

►$35,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$35,000: Will play in Conference USA title game

►$20,000: Sixth C-USA win, seventh overall

Ohio: Tim Albin

►$5,000: Eighth regular season win

►$27,285: Win Mid-American Conference division title, will play in conference title game

►$5,000: Ninth regular season win

►$10,000: MAC coach of the year

►$27,285: Win bowl game

Ohio State: Ryan Day

►$250,000: Play in CFP semifinals

Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy

►$62,500: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Oregon: Dan Lanning

►$100,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game with at least seven wins

►$100,000: Ninth regular season win

Oregon State: Jonathan Smith

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Feb. 28, 2029. Scheduled total pay for additional season is $4.75 million, with $2.85 million guaranteed.)

►$50,000: Eighth regular season win

►$25,000: Win over Oregon

►$25,000: Ninth regular season win

►$25,000: Pac-12 co-coach of the year

Penn State: James Franklin

►$200,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$100,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal game

Purdue: Jeff Brohm

►$150,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$30,000: Seventh win

►$90,000: Finish first or tied for first in Big Ten division

►$30,000: Eighth win

San Diego State: Brady Hoke

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

San Jose State: Brent Brennan

►$15,000: Sixth regular season win

South Alabama: Kane Wommack

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension and $25,000 future raise: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Feb. 28, 2027.)

►Additional $25,000 future raise: Eighth win (Scheduled total pay for previously earned additional contract year is $770,250, with $558,938 guaranteed.)

South Carolina: Shane Beamer

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Southern Mississippi: Will Hall

►$20,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$10,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

Tennessee: Josh Heupel

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$100,000: Team No. 10 to No. 6 in final CFP rankings (No. 6)

►$100,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal game

►$50,000: Southeastern Conference coach of the year (Associated Press)

Texas: Steve Sarkisian

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Texas-San Antonio: Jeff Traylor

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Eighth regular season win

►$25,000: Ninth regular season win

►$25,000: Will play in Conference USA title game

►$25,000: Tenth regular season win

►$50,000: Win C-USA title game

►$20,000: Team from No. 25 to No. 11 in final CFP rankings (No. 25)

►$25,000: C-USA coach of the year

Texas Tech: Joey McGuire

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Play in Alamo, Cheez-It or Texas bowl (Texas)

►$75,000: Win Alamo, Cheez-It or Texas bowl   

Toledo: Jason Candle

►$20,000: Sixth regular season win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Win at least a share of Mid-American Conference division title

►$10,000: Seventh regular season win

►$15,000: Play in MAC title game

►$30,000: Win MAC title game

►$30,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

Troy: Jon Sumrall

►$50,000: Sixth regular season win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Jan. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for additional season is $925,000, with all of that amount guaranteed.)

►$10,000: Sun Belt Conference coach of the year

►$10,000: Win Sun Belt title game

UCLA: Chip Kelly

►$10,000: Sixth regular season win

►$40,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$10,000: Seventh regular season win

►$10,000: Eighth regular season win

►$25,000: Ninth regular season win

Utah: Kyle Whittingham

►$15,000: Team ranked in AP top 25 at any time during season

►$275,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$10,000: Team in CFP rankings any time during regular season

►$100,000: Play in Pac-12 Conference title game

►$125,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal game by winning Pac-12 title game

►$125,000: Team in final CFP rankings

Utah State: Blake Anderson

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Washington: Kalen DeBoer

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Pac-12 co-coach of the year

Washington State: Jake Dickert

►$25,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game with at least seven wins

Western Kentucky: Tyson Helton

►$50,000: Eighth win, assures that team will finish with winning overall record

►$50,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

Wisconsin: Jim Leonhard

►Unspecified share of staff bonus pool (amount in pool is 2% of defined staff payroll of $5.73 million): Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Wyoming: Craig Bohl

►$50,000: Fifth win in Mountain West Conference play

►$29,167: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football coaches at public schools earn over $12.2M in bonuses