Deion Sanders just received a massive raise from Colorado.
Any talk of Coach Prime going to the NFL has been put to bed by Sanders and Colorado after the third-year head coach agreed to a massive five-year, $54 million contract to keep him in Boulder until 2029. The extension makes him the highest-paid coach in the Big 12, but what about the rest of the college football world?
Sanders’s 2025 base salary will be $10 million, and his average salary throughout the contract will be $10.8 million.
So, where do those numbers place the Colorado head coach among the country’s highest-paid college football head coaches?
We used the USA TODAY Sports’ college football head coach salaries database to determine where Deion Sanders lands.
Here is where he falls among the top 11 highest-paid coaches, starting at No. 1.
2024 salary: $13,282,580
Kirby Smart deserves the top spot on the list. He has a couple of national championships under his belt and a perennial top-three program in Athens. They should be a top candidate to be back in the title mix next season.
No. 2: Ryan Day, Ohio State Buckeyes
Projected 2025 salary: $12,500,000
Ohio State signed Ryan Day to an extension following the Buckeyes’ national championship in January. Day finally got Ohio State to the mountain top after years of struggling in the CFP. He won with a veteran-laden team last season, so can he do it again with a younger squad?
2024 salary: $11,132,775
Clemson has not had the same success in recent years, but they are still a winning football program. The Tigers won the ACC and made the College Football Playoff, and despite an early exit, Clemson should be able to build on that in 2025.
No. 4: Steve Sarkisian, Texas Longhorns
2025 salary: $10.8 million
After a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinals, Texas gave Sarkisian a raise and a contract extension. He has rejuvenated Texas football, and with Arch Manning under center for the next couple of years, the Longhorns are serious title contenders.
No. 5: Lincoln Riley, USC Trojans
2024 salary: $10.043,418
USC has underachieved since Riley took over and had another disappointing season in 2024. Caleb Willliams won the Heisman a couple of years ago, but the Trojans haven’t returned to their once national prominence. In a loaded Big Ten, they will again have their work cut out for them.
2024 salary: $10 million
Kalen DeBoer is simply a winning football coach. He has won big at every stop, which was true in his first season in Tuscaloosa. It was not a dominant season by the Crimson Tide, but he was a solid first year. He looks likely to improve upon last season and return Alabama to the top of the SEC.
2025 salary: $10 million
Deion Sanders got a major payday from Colorado this offseason, and he deserved it after taking Colorado from a 1-11 team to a 9-4 season in 2024. Sanders’ contract extension will average $10.8 million throughout its duration. Coach Prime will have expectations of getting Colorado to the College Football Playoff with his salary now within the top six coaches.
T-No. 6: Bill Belichick, North Carolina Tar Heels
2025 salary: $10 million
The future Hall of Fame head coach will begin his college coaching career this season after 24 seasons as the New England Patriots head coach. He hopes to turn the Tar Heel football program into an NFL pipeline, and his first season in Chapel Hill will be must-see television.
2024 salary: $10 million
Florida State will need to rebound from a disastrous season last year. Norvell will have to right the ship quickly in Talahassee, or it will be a long season in North Florida.
No. 10: Brian Kelly, LSU Tigers
2024 salary: $9,975,000
Brian Kelly leaving Notre Dame for LSU surprised many people. He was a staple in South Bend, but he said it went to LSU to win a title. With back-to-back 10-win season, Tigers’ fans were impressed, but so far they have not been able to get over the hump. After winning nine games last year, LSU fans want more from their program in 2025.
No. 11: Dan Lanning, Oregon Ducks
2025 salary: $9.400,000
An ugly Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State did sway Oregon’s decision-makers’ belief in Dan Lanning. He earned a contract extension that will pay him an average of $11 million until 2031. Oregon won the Big Ten in their first year in the conference and should be a favorite again.
Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads and Instagram.
Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
