Dan Lanning in good company with college coaches earning $7 million or more per year
On Thursday morning, the University of Oregon Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve a contract extension for Oregon Duck head football coach Dan Lanning.
Lanning’s extension increases his yearly salary from $4.7 million to $7 million, increasing by $200,000 each year through 2028. Should he hit all of his incentives and kickers, Lanning could make more than $70 million over the next nine years in Eugene, while a massive $20 million buyout has been put in place should he leave the Ducks.
Though he has just one year of being a head coach under his belt and a 10-3 career record, Lanning is getting paid as much as some of the top coaches in the nation. When you look at the coaching landscape in college football, it’s clear Oregon’s man is in great company when it comes to coaches who haul in more than $7 million per year.
Here are some of the other names that get that type of money:
James Franklin — Penn State Nittany Lions
Annual Compensation: $7 Million
Career Win-Loss Record: 102-51 (.667)
Analysis: Penn State at times gets outshined in the Big Ten, but it is among the top teams in the conference, and it has one of the best coaches in the nation running things.
Jim Harbaugh — Michigan Wolverines
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Annual Compensation: $7.05 Million
Career Win-Loss Record: 103-46 (.691)
Analysis: His stint at both Utah and Stanford put him in line to have a successful NFL career, but the college game called him back. Harbaugh has the nice leverage of potentially leaping to the NFL each offseason to keep his salary high, as well.
Luke Fickell — Wisconsin Badgers
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Annual Compensation: $7.8 Million
Career Win-Loss Record: 64-25 (.719)
Analysis: After leading Cincinnati to a great deal of success, it’s great to see Luke Fickell get paid with Wisconsin. I can’t wait to see how he’s able to coach at a Power Five level with an historically great team.
Mario Cristobal — Miami Hurricanes
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Annual Compensation: $8 Million
Career Win-Loss Record: 67-67 (.500)
Analysis: The contract may not match the career coaching record, but Miami certainly paid for their guy. Now it’s time to see the results on the field.
Josh Heupel — Tennessee Volunteers
Annual Compensation: $9 Million
Career Win-Loss Record: 46-16 (.742)
Analysis: Not many non-SEC college football fans may realize Josh Heupel is among the top-paid coaches in the nation, but he has done a great job turning Tennessee around over the last few years.
Jimbo Fisher — Texas A&M Aggies
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Annual Compensation: $9 Million
Career Win-Loss Record: 122-44 (.735)
Analysis: Jimbo Fisher has been getting paid a lot of money since leaving Florida State. The Aggies, however, have not been winning a ton. Something needs to give.
Lane Kiffin — Ole Miss Rebels
Annual Compensation: $9 Million
Career Win-Loss Record: 85-47 (.644)
Analysis: Lane Kiffin will always be among the highest-paid coaches as long as he is in the coaching game. Success has been prevalent on the field, and he is a great recruiter.
Matt Rhule — Nebraska Cornhuskers
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Annual Compensation: $9.25 Million
Career Win-Loss Record: 47-43 (.522)
Analysis: After leaving Baylor for a stint in the NFL, Rhule is back in the college ranks with some money to show for it. Now let’s see how quickly he can get Nebraska back to relevancy.
Ryan Day — Ohio State Buckeyes
Annual Compensation: $9.5 Million
Career Win-Loss Record: 45-6 (.882)
Analysis: After taking over for Urban Meyer, one of the most successful head coaches in college football history, Ryan Day hasn’t skipped a beat. It makes sense he is among the top-paid coaches in the nation.
Mel Tucker — Michigan State Spartans
Annual Compensation: $9.5 Million
Career Win-Loss Record: 23-21 (.523)
Analysis: I was surprised to see Mel Tucker this high on the list, since he hasn’t done much the past to be deserving of $9.5 million annually. However, we will see how good he can be going forward.
Brian Kelly — LSU Tigers
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Annual Compensation: $9.5 Million
Career Win-Loss Record: 176-66 (.727)
Analysis: Wherever Brian Kelly goes, it appears winning follows. He is in line for another great season at LSU after leaving Notre Dame a couple of years ago. No surprise he’s getting paid.
Lincoln Riley — USC Trojans
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Annual Compensation: $10 million (Estimated)
Career Win-Loss Record: 66-13 (.835)
Analysis: Since USC is a private institution, we don’t know how much Lincoln Riley is getting paid per season. I guarantee that it’s worth it, though.
Dabo Swinney — Clemson Tigers
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Annual Compensation: $10.5 Million
Career Win-Loss Record: 161-39 (.805)
Analysis: Dabo has been successful enough in his career at Clemson that he will likely be one of the highest-paid coaches in the nation until he decides to hang the whistle up.
Kirby Smart — Georgia Bulldogs
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Annual Compensation: $11.25 Million
Career Win-Loss Record: 81-15 (.844)
Analysis: After winning back-to-back national championships and dethroning Alabama as the top team in the SEC, Kirby Smart deserves to be one of the highest-paid coaches in the nation.
Nick Saban — Alabama Crimson Tide
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Annual Compensation: $11.7 Million
Career Win-Loss Record: 285-69-1 (.804)
Analysis: You could argue that Saban will go down as the best coach in the history of college football when his career is done. I would argue he isn’t getting paid enough.
