The SEC pays a lot for its football coaches, but some schools in the league got a lot more for their money this season.
CBS Sports' Jon Solomon broke down what each coach in the Power 5 conferences made per win in 2016. He simply divided what each coach made in 2016 by their total number of wins. And while the SEC has 10 of the 25 highest paid coaches in college football, a couple of them look like bargains by this metric.
Nick Saban’s making more than $6.9 million this year. He’s the second-highest paid coach in college football behind Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh. But in terms of Price Per Win, he was the seventh-highest paid coach in his own league this year. A 13-0 record will help make that happen.
Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason made the least per win in 2016 at $426,146. The Commodores only won six games, but Mason still cost Vanderbilt less than half of what Hugh Freeze made per win. Freeze made $940,700 for each of his team’s five wins. And he lost to Mason head-to-head.
Here’s what every coach in the SEC made per win in 2016:
Derek Mason, Vanderbilt (6-6): $426,146
Will Muschamp, South Carolina (6-6): $500,416
Mark Stoops, Kentucky (7-5): $501,943
Butch Jones, Tennessee (8-4): $513,541
Jim McElwain, Florida (8-4): $533,541
Nick Saban, Alabama (13-0): $533,8001
Kirby Smart, Georgia (7-5): $536,229
Barry Odom, Missouri (4-8): $587,500
Gus Malzahn, Auburn (8-4): $591,188
Bret Bielema, Arkansas (8-4): $592,143
Les Miles, LSU* (7-4): $626,510
Dan Mullen, Mississippi State (5-7): $840,000
Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss (5-7): $940,700
* -- Miles was dismissed as coach after four games and a 2-2 record.
About the Author
