College football coaches bonuses: Harbaugh banks $500k; Kelly leads

This is the time of year when college football head coaches’ bonuses and other incentives flow quickly and from many directions.

In the past week alone, money has been secured for this season from teams becoming eligible for bowl games, clinching appearances in conference championship games, winning a rivalry game and reaching benchmarks for overall wins or conference wins.

Leading the way was Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, who secured $500,000 for the Wolverines winning the Big Ten Conference East Division and a berth in the Big Ten title game.

Meanwhile, Maryland’s Mike Locksley and Middle Tennessee State’s Rick Stockstill made it eight coaches this season to hit a benchmark that has resulted in an automatic contract extension. 

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Altogether across public schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision, it comes to a total more than $7.1 million in one-time payments due in the coming months, plus roughly $21 million in commitments for later years.

That’s with numerous big-dollar amounts set to be determined this coming weekend, when conference championship games will played, the College Football Playoff teams will be selected and nearly all remaining bowl pairings will be set.

Harbaugh and LSU’s Brian Kelly will have the most lucrative incentives in play.

If Michigan (12-0) defeats Purdue in Indianapolis, Harbaugh – as he did last season – would pick up another $1.5 million in bonuses. He’d get $1 million for winning the Big Ten championship and $500,000 for the CFP semifinal spot that the Wolverines assuredly would receive.

Purdue’s Jeff Brohm would get $240,000 in additional bonuses if the Boilermakers win. He already has $300,000.

Kelly’s LSU team will be coming into the Southeastern Conference championship game off an upset loss at Texas A&M. But if the Tigers rise up and defeat No. 1-ranked Georgia (12-0) in Atlanta, it would trigger a $250,000 pay increase that would remain in effect for each of the nine remaining years on his contract, meaning his agreement would increase in scheduled value by a total of $2.25 million.

The conference title also would give Kelly $175,000 in additional bonuses for this season: $75,000 for winning the SEC title and $100,000 for playing in one of the CFP’s non-semifinal games.

Kelly already has secured $575,000 in bonuses this season: $500,000 for becoming eligible for a bowl game and $75,000 for the berth in the SEC title game.

Georgia’s Kirby Smart would get $525,000 in bonuses if the Bulldogs beat LSU: $200,000 for winning the SEC title, plus a $325,000 increase in his bowl bonus for reaching the CFP semifinals.

Smart will come into the game with $275,000 already assured. 

USA TODAY Sports will continue tracking the amounts head coaches are scheduled to receive and for what achievements. The information is based on contracts obtained from the schools through open-records requests. The list is alphabetical, by school.

It does not include bonuses and/or pay increases for assistant coaches, staff and athletics directors that also may be resulting from these achievements. It also does not include bonuses for team academic achievements. 

Alabama: Nick Saban

►$65,000: Sixth win, eligible for bowl game not among with the six connected to the College Football Playoff.

►$25,000: 8-2 record (5-2 in conference play) assures that team will be playing in one of Southeastern Conference’s top seven non-CFP bowl games

Appalachian State: Shawn Clark

►$20,000: Competitive scheduling – played guarantee game at home stadium of Power 5 Conference opponent (Texas A&M)

►$30,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Arkansas: Sam Pittman

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Boise State: Andy Avalos

►$15,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$10,000: Sixth win in Mountain West Conference play

►$10,000: Seventh win in Mountain West play

►$25,000: Win at least share of Mountain West division title, will play in MWC title game

►$10,000: Eighth win in Mountain West play

California: Justin Wilcox

►$25,000: Win over Stanford

Central Florida: Gus Malzahn

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Will play in American Athletic Conference title game

Cincinnati: Luke Fickell

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Clemson: Dabo Swinney

►$75,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game with least eight wins

►$50,000: Win Atlantic Coast Conference division title, will play in conference title game

Coastal Carolina: Jamey Chadwell

►$150,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$200,000: Win at least share of Sun Belt Conference division title, will play in conference title game

Connecticut: Jim Mora

►$25,000: Sixth win

East Carolina: Mike Houston

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Eastern Michigan: Chris Creighton

►$15,000: Victory over Power 5 opponent (Arizona State)

►One-year contract extension; $10,000 raise, beginning next season; $25,000 bonus this season: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game (If team plays in bowl game, agreement set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season would be at least $610,000.)

►$10,000: Seventh regular season win

►$2,500: Eighth regular season win

►$15,000: Tie for Mid-American Conference division title, but not advancing to MAC title game

Florida: Billy Napier

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Florida State: Mike Norvell

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Fresno State: Jeff Tedford

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Win Mountain West Conference division title, will play in conference title game

►$40,000: Seventh regular season win

►$20,000: Eighth regular season win

Georgia: Kirby Smart

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: 8-0 record assures that team will be playing in one of SEC’s top seven non-CFP bowl games

►$100,000: Win at least share of SEC division title, will play in conference title game

►$100,000: 12-0 record assures that team will be playing in one of six games affiliated with the College Football Playoff

Georgia Southern: Clay Helton

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Houston: Dana Holgorsen

►$10,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Illinois: Bret Bielema

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Iowa: Kirk Ferentz

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

James Madison: Curt Cignetti

►$10,000: First Sun Belt Conference win in school history

►$20,000: Sixth win

►$25,000: Seventh win against FBS opponents

Kansas: Lance Leipold

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Kansas State: Chris Klieman

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2028. Scheduled total pay for that season is $4.3 million, with nearly all of that amount guaranteed.)

►$75,000: Finish second or tied for second in Big 12 Conference

Kentucky: Mark Stoops

►100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

LSU: Brian Kelly

►$500,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$75,000: Win at least share of SEC division title, will play in conference title game

Louisville: Scott Satterfield

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Marshall: Charles Huff

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Seventh regular season win

Maryland: Mike Locksley

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension, and $100,000 bonus this season: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $4.5 million, with $2.925 million guaranteed.)

Memphis: Ryan Silverfield

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Miami (Ohio): Chuck Martin

►$23,335: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Michigan: Jim Harbaugh

►$500,000: Win Big Ten Conference division title, will play in conference title game

Middle Tennessee State: Rick Stockstill

►$68,475: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win, which assures that team will finish with winning overall record (Agreement now set to run through Dec. 31, 2029. Scheduled total pay for that season would be just over $900,000, with just over $820,000 guaranteed.)

Minnesota: P.J. Fleck

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$100,000: Eighth regular season win

Mississippi: Lane Kiffin

►$100,000: Regular season win over non-conference Power 5 team (Georgia Tech)

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement set to run through Dec. 31, 2026. According to a recent term sheet from the university, Kiffin’s annual pay for the 2026 contract year is scheduled to be at least $7.55 million, beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The guaranteed value of the additional year is not available because that is determined, in part, by an agreement with the Ole Miss Athletic Foundation, a private, non-profit organization that declines to provide that agreement.)

Mississippi State: Mike Leach

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Missouri: Eliah Drinkwitz

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

North Carolina: Mack Brown

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$200,000: Win at least share of ACC division title, will play in conference title game           

North Carolina State: Dave Doeren

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$50,000: Eighth win 

North Texas: Seth Littrell

►$35,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$35,000: Will play in Conference USA title game

►$20,000: Sixth C-USA win, seventh overall

Ohio: Tim Albin

►$5,000: Eighth regular season win

►$27,285: Win Mid-American Conference division title, will play in conference title game

►$5,000: Ninth regular season win

Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy

►$62,500: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Oregon: Dan Lanning

►$100,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game with at least seven wins

►$100,000: Ninth regular season win

Oregon State: Jonathan Smith

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Feb. 28, 2029. Scheduled total pay for additional season is $4.75 million, with $2.85 million guaranteed.)

►$50,000: Eighth regular season win

►$25,000: Win over Oregon

►$25,000: Ninth regular season win

Penn State: James Franklin

►$200,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Purdue: Jeff Brohm

►$150,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$30,000: Seventh win

►$90,000: Finish first or tied for first in Big Ten division

►$30,000: Eighth win

San Diego State: Brady Hoke

►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

San Jose State: Brent Brennan

►$15,000: Sixth regular season win

South Alabama: Kane Wommack

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension and $25,000 future raise: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Feb. 28, 2027.)

►Additional $25,000 future raise: Eighth win (Scheduled total pay for previously earned additional contract year is $770,250, with $558,938 guaranteed.)

South Carolina: Shane Beamer

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Southern Mississippi: Will Hall

►$20,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Tennessee: Josh Heupel

►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Texas: Steve Sarkisian

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Texas-San Antonio: Jeff Traylor

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Eighth regular season win

►$25,000: Ninth regular season win

►$25,000: Will play in Conference USA title game

►$25,000: Tenth regular season win

Texas Tech: Joey McGuire

►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game     

Toledo: Jason Candle

►$20,000: Sixth regular season win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$25,000: Win at least a share of Mid-American Conference division title

►$10,000: Seventh regular season win

►$15,000: Will play in MAC title game

Troy: Jon Sumrall

►$50,000: Sixth regular season win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Agreement now set to run through Jan. 31, 2027. Scheduled total pay for additional season is $925,000, with all of that amount guaranteed.)

UCLA: Chip Kelly

►$10,000: Sixth regular season win

►$40,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$10,000: Seventh regular season win

►$10,000: Eighth regular season win

►$25,000: Ninth regular season win

Utah: Kyle Whittingham

►$15,000: Team ranked in AP top 25 at any time during season

►$275,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

►$10,000: Team in CFP rankings any time during regular season

►$100,000: Will play in Pac-12 Conference title game

Utah State: Blake Anderson

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Washington: Kalen DeBoer

►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Washington State: Jake Dickert

►$25,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game with least seven wins

Western Kentucky: Tyson Helton

►$50,000: 8th win, assures that team will finish with wiinning overall record

Wisconsin: Jim Leonhard

►Unspecified share of staff bonus pool (amount in pool is 2% of defined staff payroll of $5.73 million): Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game

Wyoming: Craig Bohl

►$50,000: Fifth win in Mountain West Conference play

►$29,167: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game