Football
Mike Gundy the 13th-Highest Paid Coach in College Football This Season
Gundy is pulling in the third highest salary in the Big 12.
As one of the longest-tenured coaches in college football, Mike Gundy is being compensated accordingly.
In USA Today’s annual release of the coaching salary database, Gundy ranks 13th among all college football coaches in 2019 salary.
The numbers: a $5.125 million base salary, $62,500 in bonuses, and the real kicker: a $16.632 million dollar buyout. That’s a big number, but only three coaches who rank above him in total 2019 salary — Jim Harbaugh, Dan Mullen and James Franklin — have a lower buyout number. (Jimbo Fisher’s buyout number at Texas A&M is more than $60M!)
The $5.125 salary for 2019 makes him the third highest-paid coach in the Big 12 this season behind Tom Herman and Lincoln Riley.
Here’s a look at USA Today’s salary data for the top 25 highest-paid coaches:
| School | Coach | Total Pay | Max Bonus | Buyout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clemson | Dabo Swinney | $9,315,600 | $1,125,000 | $50,000,000 |
| Alabama | Nick Saban | $8,857,000 | $1,100,000 | $34,100,000 |
| Michigan | Jim Harbaugh | $7,504,000 | $1,325,000 | $11,687,500 |
| Texas A&M | Jimbo Fisher | $7,500,000 | $1,500,000 | $60,625,000 |
| Georgia | Kirby Smart | $6,871,600 | $1,150,000 | $24,239,584 |
| Auburn | Gus Malzahn | $6,827,589 | $1,400,000 | $27,050,000 |
| Texas | Tom Herman | $6,750,000 | $725,000 | $20,416,667 |
| Purdue | Jeff Brohm | $6,600,000 | $1,290,000 | $27,650,000 |
| Oklahoma | Lincoln Riley | $6,384,462 | $950,000 | $21,013,333 |
| Florida | Dan Mullen | $6,070,000 | $925,000 | $12,000,000 |
| Penn State | James Franklin | $5,650,000 | $1,000,000 | $16,495,833 |
| Northwestern | Pat Fitzgerald | $5,144,937 | — | — |
| Oklahoma State | Mike Gundy | $5,125,000 | $900,000 | $16,632,813 |
| Nebraska | Scott Frost | $5,000,000 | $950,000 | $20,416,667 |
| Florida State | Willie Taggart | $5,000,000 | $1,475,000 | $17,708,333 |
| South Florida | Charlie Strong | $5,000,000 | $815,000 | — |
| Texas Christian | Gary Patterson | $4,900,776 | — | — |
| Iowa | Kirk Ferentz | $4,800,000 | $2,875,000 | $21,571,250 |
| Kentucky | Mark Stoops | $4,763,600 | $2,750,000 | $22,703,125 |
| Washington | Chris Petersen | $4,625,000 | $1,050,000 | $21,770,833 |
| Stanford | David Shaw | $4,613,707 | — | — |
| Ohio State | Ryan Day | $4,500,000 | $800,000 | $18,750,000 |
| South Carolina | Will Muschamp | $4,400,000 | $1,400,000 | $19,437,500 |
| Michigan State | Mark Dantonio | $4,399,437 | $650,000 | $7,000,000 |
| Wisconsin | Paul Chryst | $4,150,000 | $1,250,000 | $14,993,055 |
Gundy agreed to a long-term, restructured deal in 2017 that provides an annual $125,000 escalator as well as an extra year on his deal (unless informed otherwise.) His current deal runs through 2023.
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