How much money does GA Bulldogs’ Kirby Smart make? Here are the top college football earners

College football is big business now and head coaches are earning like never before. Across the country, head coaches are pulling in salaries that rival pro sports money. Although the SEC boasts some of the highest-paid coaches in the game, there are plenty of heavy hitters cashing in well beyond the South.

Thanks to sports betting website BetMGM’s The Roar, these are the coaches that earn the biggest paychecks in college football.

Top 5 highest-paid college football coaches in 2025

• Kirby Smart, University of Georgia: $13.28 million
• Ryan Day, Ohio State University: $12.5 million
• Dabo Swinney, Clemson University: $11.5 million
• Dan Lanning, University of Oregon:around $11 million
• Deion Sanders, University of Colorado-Boulder: $10.8 million

SEC coaches leading the charge

Kirby Smart and Ryan Day are the first and second highest earning coaches in all of college football, but the SEC dominates the top 20 as well.

Here’s how the SEC stacks up:

• #5 (tie): Steve Sarkisian, University of Texas - $10.6 million
• #7: Kalen DeBoer, University of Alabama - $10 million
• #10 Brian Kelly, Louisiana State University - $9.98 million
• #11 (tie): Eli Drinkwitz, University of Missouri - $9 million
• #11 (tie): Lane Kiffin, University of Mississippi - $9 million
• #11 (tie): Josh Heupel, University of Tennessee - $9 million
• #15 (tie): Brent Venables, University of Oklahoma $8.5 million
• #20: Billy Napier, University of Florida - $7.29 million

Why are college football coaches paid so much?

The threshold for coaches’ salaries in 2025 has crept up over $10 million, which could because they are central to the financial and cultural engine of major athletic programs.

NPR’s Planet Money thinks it’s a combination of many factors:

• Revenue from ticket sales, TV deals, merchandise and donations from football programs often create funding for other programs
• Coaches are often seen as the “engine” driving these profits, which boosts attendance and school visibility
• Successful football programs can increase university enrollment and national recognition, serving as a form of advertisement
• Athletic departments are increasingly politically powerful on campuses

High-profile coaches drive revenue, visibility, and enrollment in ways that institutions value beyond immediate profit calculations. And now that players are being paid, the programs are bound to expand even further.

What do you think about coaches making so much? Is it justified? Email me at srose@ledger-enquirer.com or find me on social media.

This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "How much money does GA Bulldogs’ Kirby Smart make? Here are the top college football earners."