Curt Cignetti, Kirby Smart lead list of top 10 highest-paid coaches in 2026

Several prominent jobs opened during the 2025 college football coaching carousel, and the salaries that followed raised the bar for how much it takes to land among the top 10 of the highest-paid coaches in the country.

With LSU, Penn State, Florida, Auburn, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, UCLA and Stanford all hiring new coaches, it was a particularly active cycle. Some coaches parlayed interest into lucrative extensions at their current schools, while others left to fill those jobs.

Two coaches, Brian Kelly and Bill Belichick, dropped out of the top 10. Kelly was fired in the midst of his fourth season at LSU, which hired Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss. Belichick is still set to make $10.1 million in his second season at North Carolina, but an eight-figure salary no longer guarantees a spot in the top 10.

Belichick, Florida State‘s Mike Norvell and Missouri‘s Eli Drinkwitz are among those who will earn more than $10 million this season but did not make the list. Here is the updated top 10 for 2026 based on contracts obtained by On3 through public record requests. The numbers do not include potential postseason incentives.

1. Curt Cignetti, Indiana — $13.02M

Curt Cignetti became the highest-paid coach in the country after leading Indiana to its first national championship. He signed an extension in October that included an average annual salary of $11.6 million, but the school agreed to review his compensation if the Hoosiers reached the College Football Playoff semifinals. Cignetti’s salary ranked 18th in the nation at $8.3 million this past season, according to USA Today. Not anymore.

T-2. Kirby Smart, Georgia — $13M

In a decade at Georgia, Kirby Smart has won two national championships and four SEC titles. The Bulldogs have to figure out how to get back on top in the 12-team playoff era after back-to-back quarterfinal losses, but they reached the CFP four times in the past five years. As long as Georgia keeps winning at that rate, Smart will stay at or near the top of this list. He was the only coach above $13 million a year ago.

T-2. Lane Kiffin, LSU — $13M

Kiffin jumped into the upper echelon of coaching salaries with his seven-year, $91 million deal at LSU, making him the highest-paid coach in the country without a national championship. If Kiffin wins one with the Tigers, the terms of his contract include a one-time automatic escalator that would make him the highest-paid coach in the sport. He earned $9 million this past season at Ole Miss.

T-4. Ryan Day, Ohio State — $12.5M

Ryan Day signed a seven-year extension in 2025 after winning his first national championship. It made him the second-highest paid coach in the country at the time, and that has already changed. Day is set to make $12.5 million annually before incentives throughout the deal. At the end of this upcoming season, he will receive an additional $250,000 for still being Ohio State’s football coach on January 31, 2027.

T-4. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama — $12.5M

Alabama recently gave Kalen DeBoer a new contract after he was linked to the opening at Michigan, pushing him up this list even though he has a 20-8 record in two seasons with the Crimson Tide. DeBoer is now under contract through 2032, which will likely keep him in Tuscaloosa for the time being despite mounting pressure. If Alabama wants to fire him without cause, he would be owed 90% of his remaining compensation. His contract does not include a mitigation clause.

T-6. Lincoln Riley, USC — $11.5M

Lincoln Riley does not have a publicly available contract, but multiple industry sources told On3 he will make $11.5 million again in 2026 before potential bonuses. It could be a critical year for his future in Los Angeles. Riley has a 35-18 record and no playoff appearances entering his fifth season at USC, but he believes the Trojans are now in their championship window. He has to prove it.

T-6. Dabo Swinney, Clemson — $11.5M

One of two active head coaches with multiple national championships, Dabo Swinney built Clemson into a perennial contender. But with one playoff appearance in the past five years, Swinney is under pressure after a 7-6 season. If Clemson seriously considers firing Swinney at some point this fall, it would have to deal with a $57 million buyout through the end of December. He’s under contract through the 2031 season.

8. Steve Sarkisian, Texas — $11.05M

Steve Sarkisian has already received multiple extensions entering his sixth season at Texas, the most recent of which came after back-to-back CFP semifinal appearances during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. His salary will eventually increase to $12.3 million in the final year of the deal in 2031. Under Sarkisian, Texas has turned into a regular playoff contender while moving to the SEC. It will be expected to make a run in quarterback Arch Manning’s second year as the starter.

9. Mike Elko, Texas A&M — $10.75M

Mike Elko was one of the greatest beneficiaries of the coaching carousel. He ranked 32nd nationally last season with his $7 million salary, per USA Today, and his new deal reaches $12.25 million by the final year of the agreement in 2031. He can also trigger automatic one-year extensions by winning nine regular season games or reaching the playoff. This fall, Texas A&M will try to play in the CFP for the second straight season.

10. Dan Lanning, Oregon — $10.6M

Dan Lanning signed a contract extension last spring that took him through 2030, then promptly triggered an automatic one-year extension in the deal by winning 10 regular season games. Lanning appears entrenched at Oregon. He has said he wants to stay, and it would cost him a $20 million buyout to leave. After two straight playoff appearances, he and the Ducks are trying to win the whole thing.