American football is commonly known as the most popular sport in the U.S., with NCAA football being one of the most viewed sports in the nation. Generating millions of views and millions of dollars, it is no surprise that key players on these teams earn immense wealth; however, the question is: should these coaches be earning such a lavish income?
According to USA Today, college football coaches are paid an average of $6.2 million per year. The top 10 coaches alone are paid well above $8 million each, with the rest of the 109 coaches on the list being paid at least $400,000. UTSA head football coach Jeff Traylor earns roughly $2.8 million per year after his contract extension in 2021. The question we ask now is why exactly do these coaches get paid so much? Does college football really generate enough money to pay these kinds of salaries?
According to USA Today, college football earned roughly $3.3 billion in total revenue in the fiscal year 2022, with “The Big Ten” universities earning the most money, totaling $845.6 million. The Big Ten also allocated the most funds to their schools, totaling nearly $58.8 million. According to Sports Media Watch, on the low end, college football generates around 16 thousand views, while on the high end, it generates about 10.03 million views. These high viewer numbers do not account for ticket sales or restaurants, but we can gauge how popular the sport is and how it actually generates the money it does. With these numbers, it is no wonder why college football coaches are paid as much as they are.
When revisiting the original question, do these coaches deserve to be paid such a large amount of money? When looking at the numbers, it is more than fair to say that they deserve their salaries. The top 10 paid coaches have especially earned their keep, as they are bringing in strong results for their respective schools. Coach Nick Saban, the highest-paid coach according to USA Today, has consistently brought great results for the University of Alabama, being on an eight-game win streak as of Nov. 17.
Bringing in good results also generates higher revenue for colleges as they are getting more and more viewers. It is fair to say that college football coaches do deserve what they are paid for, as they consistently make a positive impact and attract many viewers from across the nation to watch their team play.
