2023 SEC football head coach salaries: Nick Saban leads SEC again

USA Today has released its annual reporting on coaching salaries all over the country and here’s what SEC football coaching salaries look like this year.

It shouldn’t shock anyone to learn that Nick Saban makes more money than every other SEC football coach. That shouldn’t surprise anyone in the slightest. It also shouldn’t be too terribly surprising to learn that Mississippi State football’s first time head coach is being paid less than anyone else in the conference.

But what’s shocking is the gap between the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide and Zach Arnett. There’s a pretty large discrepancy between the top of the conference and those at the bottom of the SEC here.

Here’s what the 2023 SEC head coaching salaries look like:

2023 SEC head coaching salaries: Nick Saban is at the top while Zach Arnett is the lowest paid coach in the conference

According to a report by USA Today, here’s what the SEC looks like in terms of salaries this season

1. Nick Saban, Alabama Crimson Tide – $11.4 million
2. Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs – $10.7 million
3. Brian Kelly, LSU Tigers – $9.98 million
4. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M Aggies – $9.15 million
5. Mark Stoops, Kentucky Wildcats – $9.01 million
6. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss Rebels – $9 million
7. Josh Heupel, Tennessee Vols – $9 million
8. Billy Napier, Florida Gators – $7.27 million
9. Hugh Freeze, Auburn Tigers – $6.5 million
10. Sam Pittman, Arkansas Razorbacks – $6.36 million
11. Shane Beamer, South Carolina Gamecocks – $6.13 million
12. Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri Tigers – $6 million
13. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt Commodores – $3.05 million
14. Zach Arnett, Mississippi State Bulldogs – $3 million

That’s right, Mississippi State football fans will find their head coach at the bottom of this list. And that makes a bit of sense when you consider how much head coaching experience he had prior to being promoted. He was new! He still is new. $3 million is a fine salary for a first time head coach at a power five institution.

Clark Lea, also a former defensive coordinator who is now a first time head coach, is basically making the same amount of money as Arnett.

But after that, salaries jump up considerable. Mizzou is paying Eli Drinkwitz double what Arnett is getting and then it only increases from there. Half the conference’s head coaches are getting paid $9 million of more.

It’s expensive to hire a head coach these days *cue mandatory inflation joke that will pop up in the Facebook comments here* and the Bulldogs hired a guy they believe can be good in the long run for the program, even if he is struggling right now.

And as such, his buyout situation is pretty manageable for MSU should things not work out, but also he’s got a pretty good incentive structure as well should this season get turned around.