Which colleges spent the most on football coaches’ salaries?
Ohio State, Georgia and Texas topped the coaching salary list last year.
For some colleges, investing in football coaches is vital to the success of their athletics programs, and that can mean spending big bucks.
The 2025 national champion, Indiana University, paid head coach Curt Cignetti $8.3 million for the 2025 football season. But Cignetti’s salary does not paint a full picture of how much Indiana spent on its football coaching staff.
Indiana spent $18.8 million on compensation for its 11 full-time football coaches in fiscal year 2025, according to data from the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database.
Every year, the database collects NCAA financial report forms from Division I institutions to track how public universities spend money on their athletics programs, including football.
Among nearly 200 public universities with NCAA Division I football programs, Indiana ranked 14th in spending on football coaches’ salaries.
Public and private universities are required to report their athletic financial data annually to the NCAA. However, only public universities are subject to public records laws. Private universities, like the University of Miami and Notre Dame, are not included in this data.
The Get the Facts Data Team analyzed the data to see which schools spent the most on football coaches’ salaries and how that spending has changed over the years.
Which universities spent the most for the 2025 NCAA football season?
The 53 public universities that compete in the Power Four spent nearly $900 million on their football coaches, with spending ranging from $9 million to $33 million per school, said Amy Privette Perko, chief executive officer of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics.
Ohio State University spent the most on football coaches’ salaries last season, totaling $33.1 million, according to the database.
Coaches’ compensation includes salaries, benefits and bonuses paid by the university, as well as contractually guaranteed payments from third parties. Bonuses also include payments to coaches for postseason football success. Coaches’ compensation does not include buyouts or severance pay, which universities typically pay when a coach is fired.
The University of Georgia spent the second most on football coaches’ salaries at $27.5 million, about 20% less than Ohio State. Georgia’s head coach, Kirby Smart, was ranked among the top-paid head coaches, according to USA Today.
How have the top five rankings changed?
Last year, Ohio State ranked second, spending $30.6 million. Its spending increased by 8% in 2025. Ohio State has consistently ranked among the top five since 2020.
Alabama ranked as the top spender in 2024 but decreased its spending by nearly 50% from fiscal year 2024 to fiscal year 2025. Alabama reported spending $49.3 million in 2024, but it dropped to sixth place in 2025, when it spent $25.2 million on coaches’ pay.
The high spending in 2024 largely came from Alabama paying overlapping coaching staffs after Nick Saban’s sudden retirement. Alabama hired Kalen DeBoer and his assistants, contributing to the jump in salaries.
The University of Texas at Austin increased its total spending on football coaches’ salaries by 11% from 2024 to 2025, ranking third highest in salaries paid.
How much did your favorite university spend?
Search for a school to see how much it reported spending on football coaches’ salaries since fiscal year 2005 and what that spending would equal in today’s dollars.