USA TODAY Sports released its annual college football coaching salary database on Wednesday. The usual suspects were at the top of the list, including LSU football’s Brian Kelly.
According to USA TODAY, Kelly’s total pay in 2025 is $10,175,000. That puts Kelly No. 8 nationally, one spot behind Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer and just ahead of UNC’s Bill Belichick. Kelly is one of nine coaches making over $10 million in 2025.
Kelly’s high pay is no secret. LSU swung big when searching for a coach in 2021. The Tigers were hoping to land an established Power Four name and Kelly fit that bill after a lengthy tenure at Notre Dame. Still, it took a lot of money to woo Kelly to Baton Rouge.
Kelly is now in year four at LSU. The 63-year-old coach is 33-12 in Baton Rouge. The Tigers won 10 games in each of Kelly’s first two years leading the program before slipping to nine wins in 2024. In 2025, LSU sits at 4-1 and hopes to make a run at the College Football Playoff.
LSU’s next contest is Saturday, Oct. 11 vs. South Carolina.
Highest-paid coaches in College Football per USA TODAY Sports
Here are the top 10 highest-paid coaches for the 2025 college football season.
| Rank | Coach | School | Total 2025 Pay | School Buyout |
| 1 | Kirby Smart | Georgia | $13,282,580 | $105,107,583 |
| 2 | Ryan Day | Ohio State | $12,575,000 | $70,916,667 |
| 3 | Lincoln Riley | USC | $11,537,560* | – |
| 4 | Dabo Swinney | Clemson | $11,447,025* | $60,000,000 |
| 5 | Steve Sarkisian | Texas | $10,800,000 | $60,307,500 |
| 6 | Dan Lanning | Oregon | $10,400,000 | $56,733,333 |
| 7 | Kalen DeBoer | Alabama | $10,250,000 | $60,843,750 |
| 8 | Brian Kelly | LSU | $10,175,000* | $53,293,333 |
| 9 | Bill Belichick | North Carolina | $10,100,000 | $20,833,333 |
| 10 | Lane Kiffin | Ole Miss | $9,000,000* | $36,600,000 |
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Where LSU football’s Brian Kelly ranks among highest paid coaches
