How Much Money Does Brian Kelly Make

The highest-paid college football coaches in 2020, ranked

If wins were dollars, then Notre Dame's Brian Kelly would have been among the top-paid coaches in the 2020 college football season. But in the real world, contracts rule -- and Kelly was routed in that department. So, who are the highest-paid coaches? And who's No. 1? Alabama's Nick Saban? Ohio State's Ryan Day? And how much does it pay to be Michigan's Jim Harbaugh? (Answer: A lot. And that was before his 2021-inked contract extension.)

We've put together a rundown of the college football game's top-paid coaches. Clemson's Dabo Swinney, who ruled in our 2019 review, has been deposed. Our 2020 list is based, with a few exceptions, on two sources: USA Today's salary database; and the Los Angeles Times' look at the paychecks of the Power Five coaches. USA Today published its update for the 2020 season in October; the Times overview dropped in September.

Here's how we've adapted and presented the data:

Where USA Today and the Los Angeles Times agree on a coach's salary, the number is presented without comment.
Where USA Today and the Times have different numbers, we present the figure that is more commonly cited by other media, especially a school's hometown media. Or, we list an entirely different number, as culled from a source that is neither USA Today, nor the Times.
With COVID-19-related pay cuts still being rolled out, if not negotiated, our list is focused on coaches' originally scheduled paydays.
In general, we've attempted to present salaries, not total compensation packages.
Since we originally published our list in November 2020, six coaches noted here -- Jeremy Pruitt,Tom Herman,Gus Malzahn, Will Muschamp, Lovie Smith and Kevin Sumlin -- have lost their jobs. In this update, they remain ranked by their most recently reported salaries (and not their reported buyout deals).

We've listed every coach whose latest reported salary was pegged at $3 million or higher. The one exception is Kansas' Les Miles: USA Today has Miles at $3.5 million, but the Los Angeles Times and Kansas' Wichita Eagle have his pay in the $2.7 million-$2.8 million range. We're going with majority rule, calling Miles' salary at just under $3 million, and not ranking him here.

You also won't find coaches who signed new deals after the 2020 season began, such as Liberty's Hugh Freeze.

As for Notre Dame's Brian Kelly? The coach who's produced 102 victories in 11 seasons for the Fighting Irish? While Kelly received a contract extension in September 2020, no new numbers were disclosed. His salary of record stands at about $1.8 million -- and that won't get you on this list. Here's who did make the cut.

Salary: $3 million

Salary: $3 million

(L-R) Bob Gregory and Jimmy Lake — (Photo: M. Samek, 247Sports)

Salary: $3 million

Salary: $3 million

Note: USA Today doesn't have any reported numbers on Hafley.

(Photo: © Gabe Mayberry, USA TODAY Sports)

Salary: $3.1 million

Note: USA Today has Wilcox's latest salary of record at $3.4 million.

Salary: $3.1 million

Salary: $3.1 million

Salary: $3.2 million

Salary: $3.2 million

Salary: $3.3 million

Salary: $3.3 million

Salary: $3.4 million

(Photo: Shotgun Spratling | USCfootball.com, USA TODAY Sports)

Salary: $3.5 million

Note: USA Today has Sumlin's latest annual pay at $3.1 million.

Sumlin was fired by Arizona on Dec. 12, 2020, a day after the Wildcats lost to the Arizona State Sun Devils, 70-7. His contract called for an approximately $7.3 million buyout, the Arizona Daily Star reported. The figure could be reduced, the outlet said, if Sumlin lands a job. Currently, the report said, he's due to be paid his buyout money in full by January 2023.

(Photo: © George Walker IV / Tennessean.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC, USA TODAY Sports)

Salary: $3.5 million

Note: The Los Angeles Times has Mason's latest annual pay at $3.3 million.

Salary: $3.5 million

Salary: $3.5 million

Note: USA Today has Campbell's pre-COVID 2020 pay at $3.7 million; the Los Angeles Times puts it at $3.8 million. The above number is a read of his deal by Iowa's Des Moines Register.

Salary: $3.5 million

(Photo: Tennessee Athletic Communications)

Salary: $3.8 million

Note: Tennessee fired Jeremy Pruitt on Jan. 18, 2021, amid a probe into reputed recruiting violations. The school called the termination a "for-cause" firing. Pruitt's camp accused Tennessee of "an orchestrated effort to renege on contractual promises." A for-cause firing would relieve Tennessee from having to fork over $12.6 million to Pruitt in buyout money, Tennessee's Knoxville News Sentinel reported.

(Photo: Troy Taormina, USA TODAY Sports)

Salary: $3.8 million

Salary: $3.9 million

Note: USA Today has Mendenhall's latest annual pay at $4.1 million.

Salary: $3.9 million

Salary: $3.9 million

Note: USA Today has Allen's salary of record at $3.8 million.

Greg Schiano — (Photo: Grant Halverson, Getty)

Salary: $4 million

Salary: $4 million

Note: According to the Los Angeles Times, Norvell accepted the biggest COVID-related salary cut among the nation's top coaches. His actual 2020 pay will come in closer to $3.5 million, per USA Today.

(Photo: Calvin Mattheis, USA TODAY Sports)

Salary: $4 million

Salary: $4.1 million

Note: The Los Angeles Times's rundown cites Narduzzi's latest salary of record as $3.4 million. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the above number. which USA Today also cites, was current as of the 2019 fiscal year, and was determined from recently obtained Pitt tax filings.

Salary: $4.3 million

Salary: $4.3 million

Salary: $4.3 million

(Photo: Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire, Getty)

Salary: $4.4 million

Note: USA Today has Muschamp's latest annual pay at $4.6 million, but the Los Angeles Times, which put the figure at $4.4 million, reported that Muschamp redid his deal to basically pass along his scheduled 2020 raise (of $200,000) to one of his assistants.

South Carolina fired Muschamp on Nov. 15, 2020. As reported by 247Sports' Chris Hummer, the school owed Muschamp 75% of the salary remaining on his deal. By USA Today's count, that would put Muschamp's buyout at $15.4 million. But the amount was said to be closer to $13 million owing to prior contract tweaks. South Carolina was in ongoing negotiations with Muschamp, The State reported Dec. 9.

Salary: $4.5 million

Note: USA Today has Helton's latest annual pay at $4.6 million; the above figure is based on USC tax filings that the Los Angeles Times obtained for the period of July 2018-June 2019.

Salary: $4.6 million

(Photo: Albert Thomas/The Bootleg, 247Sports)

Salary: $4.8 million

Note: The Los Angeles Times has Shaw's latest salary of record at $4.6 million.

(Photo: Reese Strickland, USA TODAY Sports)

Salary: $4.9 million

Note: USA Today lists Patterson's latest annual pay as $6.1 million, a number which is said to include all forms of compensation.

(Photo: John Byrum/Icon Sportswire, Getty)

Salary: $5 million

Salary: $5 million

(Photo: Joseph Maiorana, USA TODAY Sports)

Salary: $5 million

Salary: $5.2 million

Kyle Whittingham — (Photo: James Durrant, UteZone, 247Sports)

Salary:$5.3 million

Note: USA Today has Whittingham's latest annual pay at $5 million; the Los Angeles Times puts it at $4 million. The above number was pulled from Transparent Utah, the state of Utah's salary database for public employees. It reflects Whittingham's wages for the 2020 fiscal year.

(Photo: Nick King/Lansing State Journal via Imagn Content Services, USA TODAY Sports)

Salary: $5.5 million

Note: USA Today has Tucker's latest annual pay at $5.1 million.

(Photo: Jeffrey Becker, USA TODAY Sports)

S alary: $5.6 million

Note: USA Today has Ferentz's latest annual pay at $4.9 million; the Los Angeles Times puts him at $4.8 million. The above number was pulled from Iowa's state employee salary database ; it is Ferentz's listed annual gross pay for the 2020 fiscal year.

Salary: $6 million

Note: USA Today has Day's latest annual pay at $5.7 million.

(Photo: Courtney Culbreath/Collegiate Images, Getty)

Salary: $6.1 million

Salary: $6.2 million

Note: USA Today has Riley's latest annual pay at $6.5 million.

Salary: $6.6 million

Note: The Los Angeles Times has Brohm at $6.7 million; USA Today has him at $4.8 million. The above number is based on a contract and signing-bonus breakdown by Indiana's Journal & Courier. According to that outlet, Brohm's current deal was frontloaded, setting up a salary decrease; USA Today's much-lower figure appears to be what Brohm's payday will be in 2021.