2024 NCAA football strength coach salaries methodology
Methodology
To determine the total pay packages of Football Bowl Subdivision head strength coaches for their current contract years, Paste BN Sports requested contracts and related documents for the coaches at all schools that are subject to open-records disclosure or must make some type of disclosure about employees’ pay. More than 20 FBS schools or athletics departments are private or are public schools covered under state law exempting them from releasing full compensation data on coaches.
A not available (–) in the chart denotes schools that are private or did not release the information.
COMPENSATION CATEGORIES
TOTAL PAY: Includes base salary on an annualized basis, except as noted; annualized income from contract provisions other than base salary paid, or guaranteed, by the university or affiliated organizations, such as a foundation. Examples include payments as consideration for: shoe and apparel use; television, radio or other media appearances; personal appearances. Except as noted, these amounts are based on the coach’s annual pay rate for a full, standard-length contract year; they do not reflect amounts earned for a partial year worked immediately after hiring or a partial year worked at an annual pay rate other than the current amount.
It also includes deferred payments earned annually; contractual annual expense accounts (if unaudited); cash housing allowances; amounts that contracts described as signing bonuses or other one-time bonuses earned in the current contract year.
It does not include amounts that contracts stated were paid by the school in conjunction with a buyout a coach owed his previous employer, or that schools told Paste BN Sports they had paid in conjunction with a buyout a coach owed his previous employer. It also does not include the value of standard university benefits such as health care or the value of potentially taxable items such as cars; country club memberships; game tickets; standard relocation allowances; the value of spouse/family travel; or athletically related compensation received from non-university sources. (The NCAA requires athletics department employees to annually disclose athletically related income from non-university sources if it totals more than $600 in a year.)
MAXIMUM BONUS: The greatest amount that can be received if the team meets on-field performance goals (including wins totals, bowl game appearances, conference and national championships, coaching awards, etc.), academic or player-conduct goals.
ASSISTANT COACHES PAY: Sum of the Total Pay figures for the assistant coaches at the given school, not including the strength coach.
HEAD COACH PAY: Amount of Total Pay for 2024 for the head coach at the strength coach’s school.