The past month has seen college football coaches land a series of huge new contracts, several of which challenge Nick Saban’s status as the highest-paid coach in the sport. Fortunately for him, the Alabama coach has a clause in his current deal to ensure that he is in no danger of falling back among the chasing pack salary-wise.
Saban has a clause in his contract that effectively guarantees his salary can be adjusted as the coaching market changes, as noted by Paul Myerberg and Steve Berkowitz of USA Today. The specific language in Saban’s deal states that the Alabama coach and the university will meet annually on Feb. 1 “for so long as necessary to determine the marketplace trends regarding head football coach compensation.” Furthermore, Saban’s contract states that the Crimson Tide will be required to increase Saban’s “total guaranteed annual compensation” if it becomes less than the average of either the three highest-paid SEC coaches or the five highest-paid FBS coaches.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has a similar clause in his contract. Swinney’s deal states that the parties must annually “complete a good faith review and negotiation of aggregate compensation.” If Clemson fails to ensure that Swinney’s contract remains competitive with the biggest deals in college football, the school would have to waive the buyout clause in Swinney’s contract.
Saban is due to make $9.9 million at Alabama next season. As hefty a sum as that is, it’s only slightly more than the $9.5 million annual salary Brian Kelly will receive from LSU. Kelly could even surpass Saban depending on contract incentives. Michigan State coach Mel Tucker will also make that same sum annually, and his resume certainly does not compare to Saban’s.
Money isn’t the primary motivator for Saban, who has indicated that he plans to retire at Alabama. That doesn’t change the fact that he’ll want to be compensated in line with what he continues to accomplish at the school. If less-accomplished coaches like Kelly and Tucker are getting the kind of money Saban has been receiving, it’s only sensible that Saban will feel entitled to a raise of his own.
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