Alabama Football: New FBS Salary Survey shows Nick Saban is a bargain
By Ronald Evans
According to the latest FBS salary details, Alabama football coach, Nick Saban is both the highest paid and the best bargain in college football.
The latest FBS Head Coach Salary survey was released Wednesday by USA Today Sports. Salary information was published for 123 of the 130 FBS head coaches. The range of total salary compensation is from $390 thousand annually to $8.3 million annually. Not surprising, Alabama football head coach, Nick Saban is the highest paid of the 123 coaches.
A total of 13 head coaches are compensated at $5 million or higher. The three coaches closest to Nick Saban in salary are Urban Meyer ($7.6M), Jim Harbaugh ($7.5M) and Jimbo Fisher, also at $7.5 million.
A subjective review of the full list offers the opportunity of rating what schools have the best deals. As in, who delivers the biggest wins and championships for the buck – and who does not. Alabama football fans no doubt believe Nick Saban is the clear winner in such a comparison.
The Best Head Coach Returns
The top of our list is Alabama football coach Nick Saban. Five national championships in the last nine seasons, plus five SEC championships. No other coach comes close.
- Urban Meyer; Ohio State – $7.6M. Meyer has drawn much negative attention to himself, but on the football field, his Buckeyes teams have delivered for Ohio State with two B1G championships and one national championship.
- Dabo Swinney; Clemson – $6.2M. Dabo’s teams have won four ACC championships and two national championships since 2011.
- Chris Petersen; Washington – $4.37M. Peterson has led the Huskies to one PAC 12 championship in his four seasons. Adding his record at Boise State makes Chris Petersen considered of the top coaches in the nation.
- David Cutcliffe; Duke – $2.54M. Winning at football with the Blue Devils is tough. Cutcliffe has slowly built his team into Top 25 rankings four out of the past six seasons.
- Jeff Tedford; Fresno State – $1.55M. Tedford had a long run at Cal with some strong seasons but overall inconsistent results. His less than two season record at Fresno State is an impressive 13-4, including a close loss to Boise State in last season’s MWC championship game.
- Neal Brown; Troy – $810K. Brown has a 29-14 record at Troy after a first season going 4-8. Last season the Trojans were co-champs of the Sun Belt and knocked off LSU in Baton Rouge.
The Worst Head Coach Returns
- Jim Harbaugh; Michigan – $7.5M. Now in his fourth season leading the Wolverines, Harbaugh has a 32-12 record. His Michigan teams have not won a B1G championship and the three-year record against Michigan State and Ohio State is 1-5.
- Gus Malzahn; Auburn – $6.7M. The Malzahn head coach record at Auburn is 49-23. He has beaten Alabama football twice in five tries and his Tigers teams have won one SEC championship.
- Lovie Smith; Illinois – $5M. In his third season with the Illini, his teams have compiled a record of 7-21.
- Bobby Petrino; Louisville – $5M. In his fifth season of Louisville Part II, Petrino’s Cardinals have lost 21 games and counting.
- Kliff Kingsbury; Texas Tech – $3.7. In the “don’t bother me with defense” Big 12, Kingsbury’s teams do two things. They score lots of points and lose lots of games. So far in his six-year head coaching career, Kliff and the Red Raiders are 33-35. They were ranked this season after upsetting Oklahoma State but they also lost to Ole Miss, making that ranking suspect.
- Larry Fedora; North Carolina – $2.58M. In seven seasons with the Tar Heels, Fedora is barely above .500 in winning percentage. What he has built in Chapel Hill is a team that may not make it to a bowl game in 2018.
- Chris Ash: Rutgers – $2.2M. In his third season as a head coach, Ash has a 7-22 record with the Scarlet Knights and arguably one of the worst teams in the FBS.
Other coaches could have also made our lists. Lane Kiffin has suddenly gone from coach-wizard status to “what is going on” after FAU lost to MTSU. Eleven wins last season for the Owls was impressive but now at 2-3 and with Kiffin’s checkered past … on which list does Lane belong?
Another current coach suddenly looking previously overrated is Willie Taggart. FSU appears to be in big trouble. Is the task too much for Taggart or does he need time to rebuild a program left floundering by Jimbo Fisher?
Alabama football fans have not had a hot seat coach in so long, we almost forget the associated anguish. We should never forget how fortunate we have been for Nick Saban (and Miss Terry) to have settled in Tuscaloosa.