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Thursday, January 1, 2026

Alabama Makes Nick Saban Highest-Paid NCAA Coach, Again

  • Saban will make more than $90 million over eight years.
  • He’s again the highest-paid coach in college football, as well as college sports.
Nick Saban highest paid college football head coach.
Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

Earlier this year, Alabama’s Nick Saban didn’t just lose the national championship. He also lost his seat as the highest-paid coach in college sports.

But on Tuesday, the University of Alabama’s Board of Trustees reinstalled him on the throne.

The board approved a one-year extension and raise on his contract that will run until 2030, paying out more than $90 million in total.

  • The contract includes a $305,000 base salary, as well as hefty “talent fees” and bonuses that bring Saban’s annual compensation above $10 million.
  • Saban will make $10.7 million in his first year, and $12.7 in his last.

Saban has already racked up a total of nine figures while coaching the Crimson Tide, as AL.com calculated. His new contract, if paid in full, will bring his complete earnings to around $200 million.

He now makes more than Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who had the largest salary for only a matter of months after his contract was raised following his College Football Playoff victory.

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