Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Mickey Welsh/Montgomery Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

Alabama head coach Nick Saban again the highest-paid NCAA football coach

Originally posted on Sportsnaut | By Jason Burgos | Last updated 8/23/22

After falling a couple of spots in recent years, iconic Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban is once again the highest-paid coach in college football.

On Tuesday, ESPN reported that the university’s board of trustees approved a one-year extension on Saban’s already existing contract with the school. The amendment to the deal now makes his contract run through February 2030, when he will be 78 years old.

In the race to be the NCAA Division-I football coach cashing the biggest checks, Saban reclaimed the top spot. His revised contract will now pay the 70-year-old $11.7 million annually — a $2 million increase on his previous annual salary of $9.7 million. That is also $500,000 more than Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart — the previous top-paid coach — and the $11.2 million he makes each year for the defending national champions.

Alabama won its 10th SEC title in 2021 and earned another trip to the national championship game where the team came up short against Smart and Georgia.

Along with an increase in his annual pay, Saban’s new contract also includes a plethora of postseason bonuses. Those bonuses include $75,000 for appearing in the SEC championship game and $125,000 for winning it. He would also earn an extra $200,000 for appearing in a New Year’s Six bowl game, $400,000 for appearing in a national championship semifinal game, $600,000 for appearing in a national championship game, or $800,000 for getting the university a record 16th title.

The new list of the five highest-paid coaches in college football can be found below: