The highest-paid college football coach is Georgia's Kirby Smart, who makes an average of $13.2 million, per Spotrac. Smart signed a reported 10-year, $130 million deal with the Bulldogs in May 2024. With Smart leading the way, here's a look at the top five highest-paid college football coaches based on average annual salary, via Spotrac:

These are college football's 10 highest-paid head coaches heading into the 2025 season after Colorado gave Deion Sanders an extension.

Sanders enters his third year at Colorado after spending the first three seasons of his collegiate coaching career at Jackson State. The Buffaloes improved to 9-4 in 2024 -- their first winning record in a full 12-game season since 2016 -- and pushed for an appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game with a 7-2 effort in conference play.