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Money trail

Who pays the salaries

Coaches are paid mainly from athletic-department revenue and affiliated foundations, not state funds. Athletes are now paid through NIL deals and school revenue sharing.

Who pays coach salaries: mainly athletic-department self-generated revenue and affiliated foundations, not state funds. LSU's Kiffin term sheet says obligations "are payable from self-generated funds of LSU Athletics and affiliated foundation funds" [SP106]. Texas A&M's 12th Man Foundation made Jimbo Fisher's first buyout payment [M-S65]. Private schools (Notre Dame, USC, Stanford, etc.) report no category breakdown: UNAVAILABLE.

Payments to people (sourced links)

Coaches compensation (FY2025)
$1.87B [M-S48]
Athletes (through Aug 31, 2026)
$582.49M [M-S6]
Facility debt/rent (FY2025)
$94M [M-S50]

Coaches: sum of Knight-Newhouse coaches' compensation for 53 public P4 schools (calc). Athletes: NIL deals cleared by the College Sports Commission's NIL Go system. Texas: facility debt and rent, FY2025. Different scopes and periods, so do not add them.

Coaches' compensation by year (53 public P4 schools, calc)

FY2005
$402.49M [M-S48]
FY2015
$927.34M [M-S48]
FY2025
$1.87B [M-S48]

By school

Knight-Newhouse coaches' compensation covers all sports (expense); football coaching salaries as reported for FY2025. Private schools: UNAVAILABLE here (see Form 990 pay on each private school's page).

53 rows · Source [M-S48]
SchoolConf.Coaches' comp. FY05Coaches' comp. FY25Football coaching salaries FY25Source
University of AlabamaSEC$8.5M$44.1M$25.2MKnight-Newhouse
University of ArkansasSEC$7.9M$41.2M$17.6MKnight-Newhouse
Auburn UniversitySEC$9.7M$38.3M$15.3MKnight-Newhouse
University of FloridaSEC$10.3M$38.3M$16.9MKnight-Newhouse
University of GeorgiaSEC$8.8M$46.6M$27.5MKnight-Newhouse
University of KentuckySEC$8.8M$40.5M$18.4MKnight-Newhouse
Louisiana State UniversitySEC$9.2M$46.8M$22.5MKnight-Newhouse
Mississippi State UniversitySEC$5.4M$27.4M$11.2MKnight-Newhouse
University of MissouriSEC$6.6M$33.7M$17.6MKnight-Newhouse
University of OklahomaSEC$9.8M$41.4M$19MKnight-Newhouse
University of MississippiSEC$5.9M$39.9M$20.4MKnight-Newhouse
University of South CarolinaSEC$7.8M$41.4M$17.7MKnight-Newhouse
University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleSEC$11.3M$45.6M$18MKnight-Newhouse
University of Texas at AustinSEC$12.4M$57.1M$25.4MKnight-Newhouse
Texas A&M UniversitySEC$10.2M$38.2M$16.4MKnight-Newhouse
University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignBig Ten$6.4M$37.1M$16.5MKnight-Newhouse
Indiana University BloomingtonBig Ten$7.6M$38.2M$18.8MKnight-Newhouse
University of IowaBig Ten$8.8M$39M$20.5MKnight-Newhouse
University of Maryland, College ParkBig Ten$8.7M$31.5M$12.6MKnight-Newhouse
University of MichiganBig Ten$9.3M$40.5M$17.2MKnight-Newhouse
Michigan State UniversityBig Ten$9.7M$37.4M$16.3MKnight-Newhouse
University of Minnesota Twin CitiesBig Ten$9.1M$34.7M$14.6MKnight-Newhouse
University of Nebraska-LincolnBig Ten$8M$36.8M$19MKnight-Newhouse
Ohio State UniversityBig Ten$13.8M$59.8M$33.1MKnight-Newhouse
University of OregonBig Ten$4.3M$44.2M$25.3MKnight-Newhouse
Pennsylvania State UniversityBig Ten$6.6M$48.6M$25.3MKnight-Newhouse
Purdue UniversityBig Ten$6.6M$28M$13.3MKnight-Newhouse
Rutgers University-New BrunswickBig Ten$7.5M$47.7M$21.5MKnight-Newhouse
University of California, Los AngelesBig Ten$7.2M$33M$9.5MKnight-Newhouse
University of WashingtonBig Ten$7.8M$36.3M$17.8MKnight-Newhouse
University of Wisconsin-MadisonBig Ten$9.4M$33.2M$14.9MKnight-Newhouse
University of California, BerkeleyACC$9.9M$31.2M$12.2MKnight-Newhouse
Clemson UniversityACC$7.1M$42.8M$23.6MKnight-Newhouse
Florida State UniversityACC$7.1M$31M$17.9MKnight-Newhouse
Georgia Institute of TechnologyACC$6.3M$21.8M$11.4MKnight-Newhouse
University of LouisvilleACC$7.2M$30.3M$12.4MKnight-Newhouse
North Carolina State UniversityACC$4.9M$31.6M$13.5MKnight-Newhouse
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillACC$6.4M$37.9M$16.6MKnight-Newhouse
University of VirginiaACC$7.3M$31M$10.2MKnight-Newhouse
Virginia TechACC$6.3M$26.4M$12.2MKnight-Newhouse
University of ArizonaBig 12$7.2M$29.4M$10.8MKnight-Newhouse
Arizona State UniversityBig 12$7.1M$34.8M$16.8MKnight-Newhouse
University of Central FloridaBig 12$4.2M$19.2M$9.4MKnight-Newhouse
University of CincinnatiBig 12$4.8M$18.7M$9.1MKnight-Newhouse
University of Colorado BoulderBig 12$5.7M$23.2M$14.7MKnight-Newhouse
University of HoustonBig 12$4.3M$21.2M$8.7MKnight-Newhouse
Iowa State UniversityBig 12$6.1M$24.3M$11.6MKnight-Newhouse
University of KansasBig 12$6.9M$33.1M$12.9MKnight-Newhouse
Kansas State UniversityBig 12$5.9M$23.7M$10.9MKnight-Newhouse
Oklahoma State UniversityBig 12$7.7M$29.6M$13.4MKnight-Newhouse
Texas Tech UniversityBig 12$6.8M$28.4M$12.1MKnight-Newhouse
University of UtahBig 12$4.5M$28.1M$17.1MKnight-Newhouse
West Virginia UniversityBig 12$5.2M$21.6M$9.7MKnight-Newhouse
Data credit: Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database, a joint project of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University.