This is the time of year when college football head coaches’ bonuses and other incentives flow quickly and from many directions.
In the past week alone, money has been secured for this season from teams becoming eligible for bowl games, improving bowl position, clinching appearances in conference championship games, and reaching benchmarks for overall wins or conference wins. There also have been future considerations put in place – contract extensions, guaranteed pay raises, and even an increase in the amount of a previously earned, guaranteed pay raise.
Altogether for the season, with plenty of games left to be played, it comes to a little more than $4.6 million in one-time payments due in the coming months and more than $13 million in commitments for later years.
So far, the biggest bonus haul belongs to LSU’s Brian Kelly. He has picked up $500,000 for the Tigers becoming eligible for a bowl game and $75,000 more on Saturday when they clinched a berth in the Southeastern Conference championship game. Kelly’s total means he will be joining Alabama’s Nick Saban, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Georgia’s Kirby Smart in making more than $10 million this season.
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LSU’s appearance in the SEC title game will give Kelly the opportunity for a much bigger haul: An SEC championship would trigger a $250,000 pay increase that would remain in effect for each of the nine remaining years on his contract, meaning his agreement would increase in scheduled value by a total of $2.25 million. (The conference title also would give Kelly at least $175,000 in additional bonuses for this season.)
Coastal Carolina’s Jamey Chadwell – whose basic compensation for the season is set to be just under $925,000 – is next on the season bonus list, with $350,000 gained to this point. He, too, will have an opportunity to add on in a conference title game, the Sun Belt’s, which the Chanticleers reached with a win on Saturday.
USA TODAY Sports will continue tracking the amounts head coaches are scheduled to receive and for what achievements. The information is based on contracts obtained from the schools through open-records requests. The list is alphabetical, by school.
It does not include bonuses and/or pay increases for assistant coaches, staff and athletics directors that also may be resulting from these achievements. It also does not include bonuses for team academic achievements.
Alabama: Nick Saban
►$65,000: Sixth win, eligible for bowl game not among with the six connected to the College Football Playoff.
►$25,000: 8-2 record (5-2 in conference play) assures that team will be playing in one of Southeastern Conference’s top seven non-CFP bowl games
Appalachian State: Shawn Clark
►$20,000: Competitive scheduling – played guarantee game at home stadium of Power 5 Conference opponent (Texas A&M)
Boise State: Andy Avalos
►$15,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$10,000: Sixth win in Mountain West Conference play
Central Florida: Gus Malzahn
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Cincinnati: Luke Fickell
►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Clemson: Dabo Swinney
►$75,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game with least eight wins
►$50,000: Win ACC division title, will play in conference title game
Coastal Carolina: Jamey Chadwell
►$150,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$200,000: Win at least share of Sun Belt Conference division title, will play in conference title game
Connecticut: Jim Mora
►$25,000: Sixth win
East Carolina: Mike Houston
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Eastern Michigan: Chris Creighton
►$15,000: Victory over Power 5 opponent (Arizona State)
►One-year contract extension; $10,000 raise, beginning next season; $25,000 bonus this season: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game (If team plays in bowl game, agreement set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season would be at least $610,000.)
Florida: Billy Napier
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Florida State: Mike Norvell
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Fresno State: Jeff Tedford
►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Georgia: Kirby Smart
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$25,000: 8-0 record assures that team will be playing in one of Southeastern Conference’s top seven non-CFP bowl games
►$100,000: Win at least share of SEC division title, will play in conference title game
Houston: Dana Holgorsen
►$10,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Illinois: Bret Bielema
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Iowa: Kirk Ferentz
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
James Madison: Curt Cignetti
►$10,000: First Sun Belt Conference win in school history
►$20,000: Sixth win
Kansas: Lance Leipold
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Kansas State: Chris Klieman
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Kentucky: Mark Stoops
►100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
LSU: Brian Kelly
►$500,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$75,000: Win at least share of SEC division title, will play in conference title game
Louisville: Scott Satterfield
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Marshall: Charles Huff
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Maryland: Mike Locksley
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Minnesota: P.J. Fleck
►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Mississippi: Lane Kiffin
►$100,000: Regular season win over non-conference Power 5 team (Georgia Tech)
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement set to run through Dec. 31, 2026. According to a recent term sheet from the university, Kiffin’s annual pay for the 2026 contract year is scheduled to be at least $7.55 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.)
Mississippi State: Mike Leach
►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
North Carolina: Mack Brown
►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$200,000: Win at least share of ACC division title, will play in conference title game
North Carolina State: Dave Doeren
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
North Texas: Seth Littrell
►$35,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy
►$62,500: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Oregon: Dan Lanning
►$100,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game with at least seven wins
Oregon State: Jonathan Smith
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Feb. 28, 2029. Scheduled total pay for additional season is $4.75 million, with $2.85 million guaranteed.)
Penn State: James Franklin
►$200,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Purdue: Jeff Brohm
►$150,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
San Diego State: Brady Hoke
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
South Alabama: Kane Wommack
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►One-year contract extension and $25,000 future raise: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Feb. 28, 2027.)
►Additional $25,000 future raise: Eighth win (Scheduled total pay for previously earned additional contract year is $770,250, with $558,938 guaranteed.)
South Carolina: Shane Beamer
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Tennessee: Josh Heupel
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Texas: Steve Sarkisian
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Texas-San Antonio: Jeff Traylor
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$25,000: Eighth regular season win
Toledo: Jason Candle
►$20,000: Sixth regular season win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$25,000: Win at least a share of MAC division title
►$10,000: Seventh regular season win
►$15,000: Will play in MAC title game
Troy: Jon Sumrall
►$50,000: Sixth regular season win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Jan. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for additional season is $925,000, with all of that amount guaranteed.)
UCLA: Chip Kelly
►$10,000: Sixth regular season win
►$40,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$10,000: Seventh regular season win
►$10,000: Eighth regular season win
Utah: Kyle Whittingham
►$15,000: Team ranked in AP top 25 at any time during season
►$275,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$10,000: Team in College Football Playoff rankings any time during regular season
Washington: Kalen DeBoer
►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Wyoming: Craig Bohl
►$29,167: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
