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College football’s highest paid head coaches for 2022 season

I once read that there’s no occupation in America that has less job security than that of a college football head coach. Look at Tennessee. The Volunteers are on their seventh head coach since 2009.

But the risk of being fired after just a year or two does not outweigh the reward — millions of dollars to coach college football.

Using USA TODAY’s coaching salary database, SportsNaut compiled a list of the 16 highest paid college football coaches for the 2022 season, taking into account new contracts that have been issued this offseason.

Georgia’s Kirby Smart signed a new 10-year, $112.5 million contract, making him the highest-paid coach in college football.

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The SEC leads the way with an average head coaching salary of $4.3 million for the 2022 season followed by the Big 12 at $3.4 million.

Here are the 16 highest paid college football head coaches for the 2022 season:

Steve Sarkisian, Texas

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

2022 salary: $5.45 million

Chip Kelly, UCLA

Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

2022 salary: $5.6 million

Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

2022 salary: $5.748 million

James Franklin, Penn State

Syndication: USA TODAY

2022 salary: $7 million

Jim Harbaugh, Michigan

Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

2022 salary: $7.05 million

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

2022 salary: $7.25 million

Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

2022 salary: $7.5 million

Mario Cristobal, Miami

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

2022 salary: $8 million (new contract)

Dabo Swinney, Clemson

Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

2022 salary: $8,370,775

David Shaw, Stanford

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

2022 salary: $8.925 million

Ryan Day, Ohio State

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

2022 salary: $9.5 million

Mel Tucker, Michigan State

Syndication: Detroit Free Press

2022 salary: $9.5 million

Brian Kelly, LSU

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

2022 salary: $9.5 million (new contract)

Nick Saban, Alabama

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

2022 salary: $9,753,221 million

Lincoln Riley, USC

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

2022 salary: Estimated $10-plus million (new contract)

Kirby Smart, Georgia

(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

2022 salary: $11.25 million (new contract)

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Story originally appeared on UGA Wire