Coach pay vs. wins
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Mostly, but not neatly. 10 of the 20 highest-paid FBS head coaches also rank in the top 20 for career win %. Across all 87 current coaches with public pay and at least 20 FBS games, the rank correlation between pay and career win % is 0.54: clearly positive, far from lockstep.
Overlap: 10 of 20
Kirby Smart, Ryan Day, Lincoln Riley, Dabo Swinney, Dan Lanning, Kalen DeBoer, Lane Kiffin, Josh Heupel, James Franklin, Curt Cignetti.
Two of the top 20 earners, Brian Kelly and Mark Stoops, are no longer head coaches, and Bill Belichick has too few games to rank.
Top 20 by pay, and where they rank in winning
| Pay rank | Coach · 2025 pay | Career win % | Win % rank (of 100) | At current school |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirby Smart Georgia · $13.28M | .848 | 4 | 117–21 (.848) |
| 2 | Ryan Day Ohio State · $12.58M | .872 | 2 | 82–12 (.872) |
| 3 | Lincoln Riley USC · $11.54M | .763 | 10 | 35–18 (.660) |
| 4 | Dabo Swinney Clemson · $11.45M | .779 | 7 | 187–53 (.779) |
| 5 | Steve Sarkisian Texas · $10.80M | .631 | 29 | 48–20 (.706) |
| 6 | Dan Lanning Oregon · $10.40M | .857 | 3 | 48–8 (.857) |
| 7 | Kalen DeBoer Alabama · $10.25M | .770 | 9 | 20–8 (.714) |
| 8 | Brian Kelly LSU (former) · $10.18M | .725 | former | 34–14 (.708) |
| 9 | Bill Belichick North Carolina · $10.10M | .333 | too few games | 4–8 (.333) |
| 10 | Lane Kiffin Ole Miss in 2025, now LSU · $9.00M | .686 | 14 | new in 2026 |
| 11 | Eli Drinkwitz Missouri · $9.00M | .659 | 22 | 46–29 (.613) |
| 12 | Josh Heupel Tennessee · $9.00M | .723 | 12 | 45–20 (.692) |
| 13 | Mark Stoops Kentucky (former) · $9.00M | .506 | former | 82–80 (.506) |
| 14 | Deion Sanders Colorado · $8.98M | .432 | 84 | 16–21 (.432) |
| 15 | Matt Rhule Nebraska · $8.50M | .516 | 68 | 19–19 (.500) |
| 16 | James Franklin Penn State in 2025, now Virginia Tech · $8.50M | .681 | 17 | new in 2026 |
| 17 | Mario Cristobal Miami (FL) · $8.30M | .551 | 59 | 35–19 (.648) |
| 18 | Curt Cignetti Indiana · $8.30M | .885 | 1 | 27–2 (.931) |
| 19 | Bret Bielema Illinois · $8.20M | .615 | 33 | 37–26 (.587) |
| 20 | Shane Beamer South Carolina · $8.15M | .524 | 64 | 33–30 (.524) |
Top 20 by career win %, and where they rank in pay
| Win % rank | Coach · 2025 pay | Career win % | Pay rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curt Cignetti Indiana · $8.30M | .885 | 18 |
| 2 | Ryan Day Ohio State · $12.58M | .872 | 2 |
| 3 | Dan Lanning Oregon · $10.40M | .857 | 6 |
| 4 | Kirby Smart Georgia · $13.28M | .848 | 1 |
| 5 | Marcus Freeman Notre Dame · $7.42M | .782 | 26 |
| 5 | Jon Sumrall Florida | .782 | not disclosed |
| 7 | Dabo Swinney Clemson · $11.45M | .779 | 4 |
| 8 | Bob Chesney James Madison in 2025, now UCLA · $0.83M | .778 | 106 |
| 9 | Kalen DeBoer Alabama · $10.25M | .770 | 7 |
| 10 | Lincoln Riley USC · $11.54M | .763 | 3 |
| 11 | Spencer Danielson Boise State · $2.00M | .750 | 69 |
| 12 | Josh Heupel Tennessee · $9.00M | .723 | 12 |
| 13 | Rhett Lashlee SMU · $2.47M | .704 | 65 |
| 14 | Lane Kiffin Ole Miss in 2025, now LSU · $9.00M | .686 | 10 |
| 14 | Mike Elko Texas A&M in 2025, now Texas A&M · $7.00M | .686 | 32 |
| 16 | Brian Newberry Navy | .684 | not disclosed |
| 17 | James Franklin Penn State in 2025, now Virginia Tech · $8.50M | .681 | 16 |
| 18 | Ryan Silverfield Memphis in 2025, now Arkansas · $2.25M | .676 | 67 |
| 19 | Jeff Traylor UTSA · $2.50M | .671 | 64 |
| 20 | Kyle Whittingham Utah in 2025, now Michigan · $6.93M | .668 | 33 |
Equal win percentages share a rank. Pay ranks come from the 2025 list, so a coach who changed jobs shows the pay from his 2025 school.
Outliers
Paid near the top, winning less
Top 25 in pay, outside the top 50 in career win %.
- Deion Sanders (Colorado): pay rank 14 ($8.98M), career .432, win % rank 84 of 100.
- Matt Rhule (Nebraska): pay rank 15 ($8.50M), career .516, win % rank 68 of 100.
- Mario Cristobal (Miami (FL)): pay rank 17 ($8.30M), career .551, win % rank 59 of 100.
- Shane Beamer (South Carolina): pay rank 20 ($8.15M), career .524, win % rank 64 of 100.
- Jedd Fisch (Washington): pay rank 22 ($7.58M), career .492, win % rank 74 of 100.
- Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State): pay rank 25 ($7.44M), career .564, win % rank 58 of 100.
- Bill Belichick (North Carolina): pay rank 9 ($10.10M), 4–8 in his first college season; too few games to rank.
Winning near the top, paid far less
Top 20 in career win %, outside the top 50 in pay.
- Bob Chesney (James Madison in 2025, now UCLA): pay rank 106 ($0.83M), career .778, win % rank 8 of 100.
- Spencer Danielson (Boise State): pay rank 69 ($2.00M), career .750, win % rank 11 of 100.
- Rhett Lashlee (SMU): pay rank 65 ($2.47M), career .704, win % rank 13 of 100.
- Ryan Silverfield (Memphis in 2025, now Arkansas): pay rank 67 ($2.25M), career .676, win % rank 18 of 100.
- Jeff Traylor (UTSA): pay rank 64 ($2.50M), career .671, win % rank 19 of 100.
How strong is the link?
| Group | Coaches | Spearman rank correlation |
|---|---|---|
| All current FBS coaches with public pay | 87 | 0.54 |
| Power 4 (2025 conferences) | 48 | 0.56 |
| Top 20 by pay (rankable) | 17 | 0.57 |
1.00 would mean pay order matches win % order exactly; 0 means no relationship. Correlation, not cause: schools pay coaches who have already won.
Method and sources
- Pay: total pay for the 2025 season from the USA TODAY Sports coach salary database (108 coaches with disclosed pay; some private schools don't disclose). A 2026 edition was not yet available.
- Win %: career head-coach record at the FBS level, wins ÷ (wins + losses), through the end of the 2025 season, from Sports-Reference coach pages (each record above links to its page). The 2026 season in progress is not included.
- Who is ranked: the 100 current (2026) FBS head coaches with at least 20 FBS games through 2025, about two full seasons. Win % rank is out of those 100.
- At current school: record at his 2026 school through 2025; coaches hired for 2026 show “new in 2026.”
Caveats
- Pay is from 2025; coaches who changed jobs since then (Lane Kiffin, James Franklin, Jon Sumrall, Bob Chesney, Kyle Whittingham and others) have new contracts not reflected here.
- FBS records only: wins at lower levels (FCS, Division II) are not counted, which lowers totals for coaches like Curt Cignetti and Brian Kelly.
- Career win % rewards coaches who won at smaller programs and penalizes rebuilding jobs.
- Ken Niumatalolo's full record could not be verified from the sources used, so he is not ranked; his career mark would not reach the top 20.
- Spot an error? Email [email protected].
Related: Does money buy wins? · Coach pay & buyouts