Bonuses for college football coaches soar to new heights; Harbaugh sets record with haul

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Bonuses for college football coaches soar to new heights; Harbaugh sets record with haul

Steve Berkowitz, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Tue, Jan 9, 2024 ·

16 min read

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With Michigan's Jim Harbaugh outdoing himself as the Wolverines marched to the College Football Playoff national championship, college football head coaches at Bowl Subdivision public schools this season claimed just over $15.5 million in bonuses, according to tracking by USA TODAY Sports based on contracts acquired through open-records requests.

In addition, 14 coaches reached goals this season that were set to result in automatic contract extensions scheduled to be worth a combined $58.7 million. Three of those coaches have ended up moving to new jobs: Jonathan Smith to Michigan State from Oregon State; Curt Cignetti to Indiana from James Madison; and Jon Sumrall to Tulane from Troy.

Harbaugh led the bonus totals with $3 million — by far the largest single-season haul since USA TODAY Sports began tracking these amounts in 2019. Harbaugh claimed $2.225 million in 2021, although he redirected about $1.5 million of his bonus money to members of the Michigan athletics department who had taken pandemic-related pay cuts during an 11-month stretch of 2020 and 2021 and had remained on the payroll. He picked up $2.2 million last season .

The next-highest season total is the $1.775 million that Ed Orgeron attained when LSU won the CFP title in 2019.

The coaches' combined total of just over $15.5 million also establishes a new benchmark. To give that number some perspective, there were 46 Division I public schools that spent less than that on their entire athletics programs in fiscal 2022 , the last year for which the schools' annual financial reports to the NCAA are available. USA TODAY collects those documents in partnership with the Knight-Newhouse Data project at Syracuse University.

Adding it up for Harbaugh

Harbaugh's basic pay from Michigan for this season is $8.2 million.

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh earned $3 million in bonuses.

He picked up $1 million for the Wolverines' win in Monday night's CFP title game after getting $500,000 for the team playing in the Big Ten Conference championship game, $1 million for winning the Big Ten title and $500,000 for being selected to play in the CFP semifinals.

This set of bonuses was introduced into Harbaugh's contract with Michigan after the 2020 season, when he took a roughly 50% cut in his basic annual pay from the school to $4 million after the Wolverines had gone 9-4 in 2019 and 2-4 in the pandemic-affected 2020 season.

The bonuses remained intact when the parties renegotiated again after the 2021 season and moved his basic pay back above $8 million.

CHECK OUR DATABASE: College football head coach salaries

If he remains at Michigan, he could get up to $150,000 more at athletics director Warde Manuel's discretion depending on the team's NCAA Academic Progress Rate scores. (Harbaugh is contractually eligible to get bonuses for coach-of-the-year awards, but the Big Ten honor went to Northwestern's David Braun, and it seems unlikely that Harbaugh will win a national award.)

Other top bonus totals for 2023

Washington's Kalen DeBoer:$1.075 million, including $450,000 for the team's appearance in the CFP final.

Louisville's Jeff Brohm:$800,000. Brohm also picked up two automatic one-year extensions currently set to pay him a combined $13.5 million, all of which is guaranteed.

Mississippi's Lane Kiffin:$650,000, not including amounts he may be getting based on Mississippi's season-ticket sales total for the 2023 season. (The university's athletics department has not responded to a request for that total.) Kiffin also claimed an automatic one-year contract extension currently set to pay him at least $9 million.

Among coaches at schools not in a Power Five conference, Toledo's Jason Candle led with $405,000. That amount is equal to 36% of his basic annual pay from the school for this season ($1.125 million) — or less than one percentage point behind the percentage of base salary with which Harbaugh ended.

MICHIGAN BOOK: Michigan football is the national champ! Celebrate with 'Blue Reign' commemorative book

The school-by-school list

A full list of public-school head coaches' bonus data for this season follows.

It is alphabetical, by school. It shows amounts coaches achieved, or achieved prior to leaving for other positions or being fired. In either of the latter two cases, the amounts still may be owed to the coach.

Bonuses for coaches at private schools are not available because those schools are not subject to open-records laws. Boise State is not listed because bonus-related goals were achieved under an interim coach who previously had been working for the school as an assistant coach.

This does not include bonuses and/or pay increases for assistant coaches, staff and athletics directors that also may be resulting from these achievements. And those totals could be significant. For example, Michigan's 10 assistants and its head strength coach will be due a combined total of about $3 million. Georgia's 10 assistants will be getting a combined total of $1.24 million.

The head coaches' list also does not include bonuses for team academic achievements.

Alabama: Nick Saban

►$75,000: Play in Southeastern Conference championship game

►$50,000: Win SEC title

►$400,000: Play in College Football Playoff semifinal

Appalachian State: Shawn Clark

►$20,000: Competitive scheduling — play guarantee game at home stadium of Power Five opponent (North Carolina)

►$30,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Eighth win

►$30,000: Play in Sun Belt Conference championship game

►$20,000: Win Non-CFP bowl game

Arizona: Jedd Fisch

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Team in final CFP rankings (No. 14)

Arkansas State: Butch Jones

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Army: Jeff Monken

►$75,000: Win over Air Force

►$125,000: Win over Navy to win Commander-In-Chief's Trophy

Auburn: Hugh Freeze

►$150,000: Play in Southeastern Conference Pool of Six bowl (ReliaQuest, Gator, Music City, Liberty and Duke's Mayo); team playing in Music City Bowl

Bowling Green: Scot Loeffler

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$7,500: Fifth win over Mid-American Conference opponent

California: Justin Wilcox

►$25,000: Beat Stanford

►$10,000: Win over UCLA in season in which UCLA has at least six regular season wins

►$25,000: Sixth regular season win

►$40,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Central Florida: Gus Malzahn

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Clemson: Dabo Swinney

►$75,000: Play in non-CFP bowl game with at least eight regular season wins

Coastal Carolina: Tim Beck

►$150,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$200,000: Win bowl game

►$50,000 pay increase beginning next season: Team has winning record on Dec. 31

Eastern Michigan: Chris Creighton

►One-year contract extension; $10,000 raise, beginning next season; $25,000 bonus this season: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game (Agreement set to run through Dec. 31, 2028. Scheduled total pay for that season would be at least $775,000, with $725,000 guaranteed.)

Florida State: Mike Norvell

►$100,000: Play in Atlantic Coast Conference championship game

►$150,000: Win ACC title

►$200,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal game

►$100,000: Bobby Dodd Trophy national coach of the year

Fresno State: Jeff Tedford

►$75,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$40,000: Seventh regular season win

►$20,000: Eighth regular season win

Georgia: Kirby Smart

►$100,000: Play in SEC championship game

►$175,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal game

Georgia Southern: Clay Helton

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Georgia State: Shawn Elliott

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000 bonus this season and $25,000 pay increase beginning next season: Win bowl game

Georgia Tech: Brent Key

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

Iowa: Kirk Ferentz

►$100,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$200,000: Play in Big Ten Conference championship game

►$175,000: Team ranked No. 20 through 16 in final CFP rankings

Iowa State: Matt Campbell

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$250,000: Seventh regular season win

Jacksonville State: Rich Rodriguez

►$10,000: Sixth regular season win

►$10,000: Seventh regular season win

►$10,000: Eighth regular season win

James Madison: Curt Cignetti

►$15,000: Win over Power Five team (Virginia)

►$20,000: Sixth regular season win, eligible to play in non-CFP bowl

►$25,000: Seventh regular season win over FBS team

►One-year contract extension and $10,000 bonus this season: Eighth regular season win over FBS team (Agreement set to run through Jan. 31, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season would be at least $870,000, with at least $600,000 guaranteed.)

►$5,000: Ninth regular season win over FBS team

►$5,000: 10th regular season win over FBS team

Kansas: Lance Leipold

►$100,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Seventh regular season win

►$50,000: Top 25 finish in a national poll or ranking (No. 23 in Associated Press media poll)

Kansas State: Chris Klieman

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Eighth win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2031. Scheduled total pay for that season is $6.5 million, with at least $3,75 million guaranteed)

►$25,000: Team in final CFP rankings (No. 25)

Kentucky: Mark Stoops

►$100,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Louisville: Jeff Brohm

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement goes through thru Dec. 31, 2029. Scheduled total pay for that season is $6.5 million, all guaranteed)

►$250,000: Ninth regular season win

►$200,000: 9-1 record (6-1 in conference play), sets up team for ACC Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 bowl (CFP non-semifinal, Outback, Tax.Slayer, Holiday or Cheez-It). Team played in Holiday Bowl

►$100,000: Play in Atlantic Coast Conference championship game

►Additional one-year contract extension and $250,000 bonus this season: 10th win (Agreement thru Dec. 31, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season is $7 million, all guaranteed)

LSU: Brian Kelly

►$500,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Marshall: Charles Huff

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Maryland: Mike Locksley

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension and $100,000 bonus this season: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2028. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $7 million, with $4.55 million guaranteed.)

►$70,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

Memphis: Ryan Silverfield

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$75,000: Eighth win

►$25,000: Ninth win

►$25,000: Tenth win

►$50,000: Win bowl game

Miami (Ohio): Chuck Marti n

►$23,973: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$23,973: Play in Mid-American Conference championship game

Michigan: Jim Harbaugh

►$500,000: Win Big Ten Conference East Division, play in Big Ten championship game

►$1,000,000: Win Big Ten title

►$500,000: Play in CFP semifinal

►$1,000,000: Win CFP title

Mississippi: Lane Kiffin

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

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. According to a recent term sheet from the university, Kiffin's annual pay for the 2026 contract year is scheduled to be at least $9 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.)

►$150,000: Fifth win over Southeastern Conference opponent

►$150,000: Sixth win over SEC opponent

►$250,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

Missouri: Eliah Drinkwitz

►$25,000: 10th win

►$25,000: Team in final CFP rankings (No. 9)

►$300,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

►$25,000: SEC coach of the year

►$25,000: 11thwin

Nevada-Las Vegas: Barry Odom

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Play in Mountain West Conference championship game

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

New Mexico State: Jerry Kill

►$10,000: Win over New Mexico

►$10,000: Win over Texas-El Paso

►$20,000: Sixth regular season win

►$5,000: Seventh regular season win

►$5,000: Eighth regular season win

►$5,000: Ninth regular season win

►$25,000: Win over Power Five team (Auburn)

►$10,000: Conference USA co-coach of the year

North Carolina: Mack Brown

►$75,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

North Carolina State: Dave Doeren

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Eighth win

►$50,000: Ninth win

►$50,000: Team in final CFP rankings (No. 18)

Northern Illinois: Thomas Hammock

►$15,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$20,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Win any bowl game (Agreement now set to run through June, 30, 2028. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $760,549, with $317,775 guaranteed.)

Ohio: Tim Albin

►One-year contract extension and $5,000 bonus this season: Eighth regular season win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $700,000, with $300,000 guaranteed.)

►$5,000: Ninth regular season win

►$30,150: Win bowl game

Ohio State: Ryan Day

►$200,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

Oklahoma: Brent Venables

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

Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy

►$62,500: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$62,500: Play in Big 12 Conference championship game

Old Dominion: Ricky Rahne

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Oregon: Dan Lanning

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

►One-year contract extension: 10thwin (Agreement now set to run through Jan. 31, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $9.2 million, all guaranteed)

►$200,000: 11th regular season win

►$150,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

Oregon State: Jonathan Smith

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement had been set to run through Feb. 28, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season would have been $5.45 million, with $3,542,500 guaranteed. However, Smith has left Oregon State to become Michigan State's head coach — and he is set to make $7.25 million for the 2024 season, with $100,000 annual increases in future years.)

►$50,000: Eighth regular season win

Penn State: James Franklin

►$300,000: Play in CFP non-semifinal

Rutgers: Greg Schiano

►$75,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Play in bowl game other than QuickLane, Duke's Mayo or Music City

►$100,000: Win bowl game other than QuickLane, Duke's Mayo or Music City

San Jose State: Brent Brennan

►$15,000: Sixth win

►One-year contract extension and $15,000 bonus this season: Sixth regular season win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $1.9 million, with $950,000 guaranteed.)

►$5,000: Seventh regular season win

South Alabama: Kane Wommack

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension and $25,000 pay increase beginning next season: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Feb. 28, 2029. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $810,000, with $607,500 guaranteed.)

South Florida: Alex Golesh

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Win non-CFP bowl game

Tennessee: Josh Heupel

►$100,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Team was No. 25 through No. 11 in final CFP rankings (No. 21)

Texas: Steve Sarkisian

►$100,000: Play in Big 12 Conference championship game

►$100,000: Win Big 12 title

►$100,000: Play in CFP semifinal

Texas A&M: Jimbo Fisher

►$100,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Texas State: G.J. Kinne

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Win bowl game

Texas Tech: Joey McGuire

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Win lower-tier Big 12 bowl game

Texas-San Antonio: Jeff Traylor

►$25,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Eighth regular season win

►$25,000: Win bowl game

Toledo: Jason Candle

►$75,000: Sixth regular season win

►$20,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$60,000: Seventh regular season win

►$130,000: Eighth regular season win

►$25,000: Win Mid-American Conference division title

►$15,000: Play in MAC championship game

►One-year contract extension and $60,000 bonus this season: Ninth regular season win (Agreement now set to run through thru Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season is $1,125,000, with $900,000 guaranteed.)

►$20,000: MAC coach of the year

Troy: Jon Sumrall

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Eighth win (Agreement now set to run through Nov. 30, 2028. Scheduled total pay for that season is $1,100,000, all guaranteed.)

►$50,000: Play in Sun Belt championship game

►$15,000: Win Sun Belt title

UCLA: Chip Kelly

►$100,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Sixth regular season win

►$50,000: Seventh regular season win

Utah: Kyle Whittingham

►$15,000: Team ranked in top 25 at any time during season (AP preseason top 25, No. 14)

►$275,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$10,000: Team in College Football Playoff rankings at any time during season (No. 18 in first rankings of season)

Utah State: Blake Anderson

►$75,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Virginia Tech: Brent Pry

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

Washington: Kalen DeBoer

► $50,000: Play in Pac-12 Conference championship game

► $100,000: Win Pac-12 title

►$400,000: Play in CFP semifinal

►$25,000: Pac-12 coach of the year

►$50,000: Associated Press national coach of the year

► $450,000: Play in CFP final

West Virginia: Neal Brown

►$50,000: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$100,000: Eighth regular season win

Western Kentucky: Tyson Helton

►$50,000: Seventh win, team will have winning record for season

►$50,000: Win bowl game

Wisconsin: Luke Fickell

►Share of pool that is 2% of $6.225 million staff pay total ($124,500): Sixth win, will play in non-CFP bowl game

►Share of pool that is additional 2% of $6.225 million staff pay total (total of $249,000): Seventh win

Wyoming: Craig Bohl

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

►$33,333: Sixth win, play in non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Fifth Mountain West Conference win

►$25,000: Win bowl game

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football coach bonuses hit new heights; Harbaugh nets record

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