If the reports are true that the LSU Tigers are going to hire Brian Kelly and pay him upwards of $15 million/year as their head coach, Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban may have also just automatically received a raise.
When Saban signed a contract extension to stay in Tuscaloosa through the 2028 season, it was for a deal that would pay him an average of $10.6 million over its lifetime, with the final year hitting $11.5 million. However, it also included a clause that said “Saban will be paid at least as much as the average total pay of the top three SEC coaches or top-five NCAA coaches, whichever is higher.”
Given the staggering numbers that have been thrown around in recent days for Mel Tucker at Michigan State, Lincoln Riley at USC, and now Brian Kelly at LSU, it’s a foregone conclusion that Saban’s clause is going to give him a significant bump. We’ll have to see if the Kelly numbers pan out, but either way, the average value of a college football coach contract is going through the roof and Nick Saban is, rightfully, going to benefit from that.
You could even say that it doesn’t make any sense for anyone to be paid more money than Saban given all the things he’s accomplished at Alabama, but that’s a conversation for another day. Today, college football folks are happy to point out that Saban is about to get a raise thanks to Brian Kelly.
Nick Saban could be getting a raise tonight. His new contract says he must be paid at least as much as the average of the top three coaches in the SEC or top five in the nation, whichever is greater.
— Tony Paul | Detroit News (@TonyPaul1984) November 30, 2021
Nick Saban seeing two guys get $15m contracts with the clause in his contract (make more than the average of the top 5 CFB HCs or top 3 SEC HCs whichever is higher) pic.twitter.com/GiVnbIoRj6
— Jacob Major (@JakeMajor25) November 30, 2021
Congrats to all of the coaches getting paid millions of dollars while their players get to earn a little bit of money from local Applebee commercials!
[ESPN]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.