As with most sports professionals we often assume that the highest-paid people are the ones with the most success and accomplishments. But a new breakdown on college football head coaching salaries has the wider football world agreeing that one coach is significantly overpaid.
On Wednesday, Action Network’s Brett McMurphy shared a list from USA Today of the highest-paid coaches in the sport. It should be no surprise that Kirby Smart and Dabo Swinney top the list given their multiple national titles. Steve Sarkisian, Lincoln Riley, Ryan Day, Mike Norvell and Kalen DeBoer round out the top seven as coaches making $10 million per year or more.
But things get interesting rounding out the top 10 with Brian Kelly, Mark Stoops and Lane Kiffin.
Fans in the comments largely agreed that one man sticks out like a sore thumb: Stoops, the Kentucky head coach.
Highest paid coaches via USA Today (in millions)
1-Smart, UGA $13.2
2-Swinney, Clemson $11.1
3-Sarkisian, Texas $10.6
4-Riley, USC $10.0
5-Day, Oh St $10.0
6-Norvell, FSU $10.0
7-DeBoer, Bama $10.0
8-Kelly, LSU $9.9
9-Stoops, UK $9.0
10-Kiffin, Ole Miss $9.0
11-Drinkwitz, Mizzou…— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 16, 2024
Fans reasoned that Stoops has the cushiest job in football because he gets paid tons of money while having the lowest expectations of arguably any coach in the entire top 20.
“Stoops might have the best job in all of college sports. Be average/good and you have no fear of losing your job,” one user remarked.
“Stoops has the best deal in college football. Can be mediocre without fear of losing his job and still make $9 mil a year,” wrote another.
“It will always blow my mind when I am reminded that Mark Stoops is one of the 10 highest paid coaches in college football,” a third wrote.
Others argued that Norvell is overpaid because he’s underperformed. But at least he was given a salary based on expectations.
Stoops has found a way to maximize his profits while minimizing the expectations. When was the last time his job was under fire because Kentucky finished 7-6 and lost a bowl game?
It hasn’t. But for that kind of money, maybe it should.