College football is in the midst of a chaotic head-coaching frenzy, highlighted by the departure of Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss to LSU.
In the wake of Kiffin’s bold in-conference SEC move, here are the 10 highest-paid coaches in college football by annual salary among active coaches.
10. Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer – $10.25 Million
Everywhere DeBoer has been – Sioux Falls, Fresno State, Washington and Alabama – he has fielded a highly competitive team. A 25-3 overall record in two seasons at Washington (2022-23) – including making the 2024 National Championship – helped DeBoer get the Alabama job following Nick Saban’s retirement. After a 9-4 campaign in 2024, the Crimson Tide are 10-2 and will play Georgia in this season’s SEC Championship on Saturday.
9. Oregon HC Dan Lanning – $10.4 Million
The Ducks gave Lanning his first collegiate head-coaching position, and he has run away with the opportunity. In each of Lanning’s four seasons at Oregon (2022-25), the Ducks have won double-digit games and look poised to earn their second consecutive College Football Playoff berth. Under Lanning, Oregon is a combined 46-7.
8. Missouri HC Eli Drinkwitz – $10.75 Million
After a 12-win campaign at Appalachian State in 2019, Drinkwitz got the Missouri job and has built the Tigers into one of the most consistent programs in the SEC, which helped him earn a new contract last month. Across Drinkwitz’ six seasons at Missouri (2020-25), the Tigers are a combined 46-28, highlighted by double-digit-winning seasons in 2023 and 2024 and being bowl eligible in each of the past five seasons.
7. Texas HC Steve Sarkisian – $10.8 Million
The Longhorns are in the midst of an underwhelming 9-3 season, but that’s because of the standard they set for themselves by winning 12-plus games and reaching the College Football Playoff semifinal round in both 2023 and 2024. Texas is a combined 47-20 under Sarkisian since he took over the program for the 2021 season. He previously had head-coaching stints at Washington and USC.
6. Clemson HC Dabo Swinney – $11.45 Million
Swinney took over as Clemson’s head coach during the 2008 season, and the rest is history. The Tigers have won two national titles, reached the National Championship four times, had 13 double-digit winning seasons and are 187-52 under Swinney. He ranks first in Clemson history in wins (187) and winning percentage (78.2%) for a head coach.
5. USC HC Lincoln Riley – $11.54 Million
Riley succeeded Bob Stoops as Oklahoma‘s head coach in 2017, helping the Sooners make the College Football Playoff in three consecutive seasons and win double-digit games in four of his five seasons in Norman (2017-21) before becoming USC’s head coach for the 2022 season. Under Riley, the Trojans are 35-17, highlighted by an 11-win campaign in his first season (2022).
4. Indiana HC Curt Cignetti – $11.6 Million
After highly successful head-coaching stints at IUP, Elon and James Madison, Cignetti took over at Indiana following the 2023 season. In 2023, the Hoosiers won three games and a combined nine games from 2021-23. In Indiana’s first season under Cignetti, it won 11 games, marking the first time in program history that the Hoosiers won double-digit games in a single season. Moreover, the Hoosiers reached the College Football Playoff. This season, Indiana is 12-0, the No. 2-ranked team in the nation and will play Ohio State in the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game (Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). Cignetti signed a new contract in October.
3. Ohio State HC Ryan Day – $12.58 Million
Day succeeded legendary Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer after the 2018 season and has continued the tradition of the Buckeyes being among the premier football programs in the sport. Excluding the shortened 2020 season, Ohio State has won double-digit games and lost no more than two games in each season that Day has been its head coach, posting a combined 79-10 record from 2019-25. Of course, Ohio State won the National Championship last season, is undefeated in the 2025 season and the No. 1-ranked team in the country. Day was the offensive coordinator/co-offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes from 2017-18 and acting head coach for three games in the 2018 season.
2. LSU HC Lane Kiffin – $13 Million
The No. 1 story in college football is Kiffin, who’s set to embark on his fifth collegiate head-coaching position and third in the SEC at LSU. Over the past six seasons (2020-25), Ole Miss went a combined 55-19 with Kiffin as its head coach, including four double-digit-winning seasons. The Rebels are 11-1 in 2025 and likely to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time since its 2014 inception, but Ole Miss wouldn’t allow Kiffin to coach them the rest of the season, sparking the immediate move to Baton Rouge. Kiffin’s three head-coaching positions before Ole Miss came at Florida Atlantic, USC and Tennessee.
1. Georgia HC Kirby Smart – $13.28 Million
Smart took over his alma mater for the 2016 season and has turned it into a college football powerhouse. Under Smart, Georgia has won two national titles (2021 and 2022), appeared in three National Championships and won 11-plus games in eight seasons. The Bulldogs are 116-20 under Smart and set to face the Crimson Tide in this year’s SEC Championship Game, currently boasting an 11-1 overall record.
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