LOOK: Updated Big 12 Coaches’ Salaries for 2023
USA Today updated its list of college football coaching salaries on Monday, with Nick Saban’s $11,407,000 total for the 2023 season edging out Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney’s total of $10,884,775 to make him the highest-paid coach in the country.
Unsurprisingly, seven of the 10 highest-paid coaches in the country hail from the SEC, with Kirby Smart (Georgia), Brian Kelly (LSU), Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M), Mark Stoops (Kentucky), Josh Heupel (Tennessee), and Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss) all making the cut.
You won’t arrive at the highest-paid coach in the Big 12 until 14th on the list, and the name might surprise some of you. It’s not Texas’ Steve Sarkisian or Oklahoma’s Brent Venables, but Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy, who will rake in $7,625,000 this year in Stillwater.
Brent Venables ranks 17th nationally with a salary of $7,100,000 in 2023, and Steve Sarkisian comes in 30th, with $5,600,000 for 2023.
Here’s a look at the Big 12 coaches salaries for 2023, courtesy of USA Today.
| Rank (Nat’l) | Coach | Total Pay | Buyout (12/1/23) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (14) | Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State) | $7,625,000 | $24,976,563 |
| 2 (17) | Brent Venables (Oklahoma) | $7,100,000 | $30,583,333 |
| 3 (29) | Lance Leipold (Kansas) | $5,750,000 | $27,346,667 |
| 4 (30) | Steve Sarkisian (Texas) | $5,600,000 | $12,926,667 |
| 5 (38) | Chris Klieman (Kansas State) | $4,750,000 | $29,625,000 |
| 6 (41) | Dana Holgorsen (Houston) | $4,300,000 | $14,838,333 |
| 7 (45) | Joey McGuire (Texas Tech) | $4,104,960 | $15,862,063 |
| 8 (47) | Matt Campbell (Iowa State) | $4,005,537 | $15,250,000 |
| 9 (48) | Neal Brown (West Virginia) | $4,005,000 | $13,033,333 |
| 10 (53) | Scott Satterfield (Cincinnati) | $3,535,000 | $19,291,667 |
| 11 (57) | Dave Aranda (Baylor) | $3,021,003 | — |
| 12 (66) | Gus Malzahn (UCF) | $2,300,000 | $3,593,750 |
| — | Kalani Sitake (BYU) | — | — |
| — | Sonny Dykes (TCU) | — | — |
Mike Gundy is in his 18th season with Oklahoma State and has certainly earned the right to be paid as one of the top coaches in the country, but given the current state of things in Stillwater, I’m sure its a point of contention for the fan base.
While private schools aren’t required to disclose salary details, Dave Aranda’s salary at Baylor was disclosed which is interesting considering that neither BYU nor TCU decided to do so.
