Universities pay head football coaches a lot of money. USA Today released its annual database of coaching salaries earlier this month, showing how Big Ten coaches stack up against their peers across the country.
Throughout the season, The Athletic’s writers rank various Big Ten topics. This week, Cameron Teague-Robinson and Austin Meek break down the conference’s coaches to see who’s producing a high return on investment (Kurt Cignetti!) and who’s not (oh, Lincoln Riley). I looked into it.
BIGGEST BARGAIN
Curt Cignetti, Indiana
Annual salary: $4.25 million (15th in the Big Ten, 49th in the nation)
There is no one more valuable in college football than Cignetti, who ranks in the top 50 nationally in salary and leads undefeated Indiana University to the No. 13 ranking. Recruiting Cignetti from James Madison seems like a stroke of genius. He won 78 percent of his games as head coach and turned a team in last place in the Big Ten into a College Football Playoff contender in less than a year. Indiana should be prepared to raise this salary to keep Cininetti in Bloomington.
even deeper
Indiana’s Curt Cignetti sparked: ‘This guy is just different’
pay for success
Dan Lanning, Oregon
Salary: $8.2 million (4th, 14th)
There is an argument that Lanning is currently the best coach in the Big Ten. He already has a win over Ohio State, is recruiting at an elite level and is being positioned as a national title contender. No. 1 ranked Oregon State may be the best team in the country, and that’s because of Lanning. The question will be whether he can win important away games. Oregon State finished 12-2 last year with losses to Washington and the Pac-12 title game.
Ryan Day, Ohio
Salary: $10.02 million (2nd, 5th)
Day has the second-largest base contract in the Big Ten at just over $10 million annually. He has a 62-9 record during his tenure and is one of the best coaches in the nation, keeping Ohio State in the conversation as a national contender each season. Asterisk here: He has a 2-7 record in top-five games and hopes to improve on that this week against No. 3 Penn State. Still, Day is one of the best coaches in the country.
James Franklin, Pennsylvania
Salary: $8.5 million (3rd, 13th)
Franklin probably benefits from an expanded playoff run, just like other coaches in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions have been a good program under Coach Franklin, but have struggled in recent years against elite programs in Ohio State and Michigan. But this year, Franklin has locked Penn State into the playoffs and has a chance to right the wrong this weekend against No. 4 Ohio State. With a salary of $8.5 million, Penn State fans will hope for a two-loss season at some point. This year should be a year for Franklin as they aim to win a conference title and make the playoffs. If not, it begs the question: Is Penn State paying too much money to play second fiddle in the Big Ten?
even deeper
Penn State Playoff Prospectus: 12-team CFP arrives at the perfect time for James Franklin
Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
Salary: $7.7 million (5th, 18th)
Wisconsin opened its checkbook to hire Fickell from Cincinnati, where Fickell was 57-18 with a shot at qualifying for the CFP in 2021. Paying a high salary to a proven winner came with the expectation that Wisconsin would get back to winning 10 or more games. In Fickell’s second season as head coach, the Badgers have climbed out of last place in the Big Ten, but haven’t had much success against teams in the upper echelons. If this situation continues, there will be pressure on Fickell to deliver returns in Year 3.
Luke Fickell is 13-9 since taking over at Wisconsin. In six seasons with Cincinnati, he went 57-18 in CFP appearances. (Jeff Hanish/Imagn Images)
solid value
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Annual salary: $7 million (8th, 23rd)
Ferenc is like a mutual fund that gives you a steady 5% return every year. It’s not the most attractive investment, but it’s also unlikely to go bankrupt. Ferentz’s team runs the ball and plays good defense, so Iowa hoped that would be enough to compete for a spot in the 12-team CFP. That disappeared with three losses by the end of October. It’s natural to want more, but Iowa is in no hurry to invest in something riskier.
Greg Schiano, Rutgers
Annual salary: $6.25 million (12th, 34th)
Schiano was a good addition to Rutgers. He took over the program from Chris Ash, who hadn’t played in a bowl game in four years. It took a while to acquire Schiano, but winning seven games last year was a feat. This season was supposed to be better. Rutgers is 4-4 and just 1-4 in Big Ten play, but the foundation has been laid, especially in terms of recruiting in New Jersey. Rutgers needs to win more Big Ten games going forward, but it’s moving in the right direction.
Bret Bielema, Illinois
Annual salary: $6.65 million (10th, 29th)
Bielema went 8-5 in his second season at the University of Illinois and was building a Champaign-flavored version of a Wisconsin team that always seemed to win more than 10 games. After a disappointing fall to 5-7 last season, Bielema has led Illinois back to good form with a 6-2 record. A more manageable November schedule would give Illinois a chance to win nine games for the first time since 2007 under coach Ron Zook. It’s difficult to get the cap much higher than this, but Bielema and Illinois continue to look good.
Matt Rhule, Nebraska
Salary: $6.5 million (11th, 31st)
By acquiring Rhule from the Carolina Panthers for an estimated $40 million-plus, Nebraska didn’t have to go through the bidding war it had two years ago when it hired Rhule to replace Scott Frost. Nebraska acquired the coach it wanted at a reasonable price, with Rhule acquiring five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola as a program-changing recruit. Nebraska didn’t progress as quickly as they had hoped, and a 56-7 loss to Indiana was humiliating. The arrow still points towards Rhule and the Cornhuskers.
Jonathan Smith, Michigan
Annual salary: $7.25 million (7th, 22nd)
It’s still a little early for Smith, but he looks like a good pickup at an affordable price for the Spartans. Michigan State hasn’t won more than five games since winning 11 games in 2021, but Smith has already led the program to four wins and bowl eligibility looks like a realistic possibility. If they can do that, the Spartans should like their trajectory and their coach, who is only paying him $7.2 million.
diminishing returns
PJ Fleck, Minnesota
Salary: $6.7 million (9th, 26th)
Fleck rowed 11 wins in 2019 and racked up nine consecutive wins in 2021 and 2022. Minnesota struggled last season, losing veteran players who were part of a solid four-player team, including running back Mohamed Ibrahim and quarterback Tanner Morgan. – Year run. Now in his eighth season, Fleck is looking to once again strengthen his roster and prove that his program has not yet reached its peak. After a tough start, Minnesota has won three straight games, including an eye-popping win over USC, but the Golden Gophers still feel like they’re at a standstill.
Mike Locksley, Maryland
Annual salary: $5.8 million (14th, 37th)
Locksley is on one of the cheapest contracts in the conference and has a fairly average return: He has played in a bowl game the past three years, but never topped the eight-win mark. Maryland won four games again this year and could miss a bowl game with Oregon, Iowa and Penn State still on the schedule.
David Brown, Northwestern
Salary: Not disclosed
Northwestern is a private school that is not required to disclose salary information, so we don’t know exactly what Brown earns. Whatever the numbers, the returns weren’t great in Brown’s second season. Brown led the Wildcats to eight straight wins as interim coach in 2023, including a four-game winning streak to end the season, earning him a long-term contract as head coach. Regressing to average this year, Northwestern is 3-5 with an offense that ranks 126th in the FBS in yards per play.
David Brown was named the 2023 Big Ten Coach of the Year, but his program has struggled this season. (Jeffrey Becker/Imagine Images)
Lincoln Riley, University of Southern California
Salary: $10.04 million (1st, 4th)
Riley is the only Big Ten coach paid more than Day, ranking fourth in college behind Kirby Smart (Georgia), Dabo Swinney (Clemson) and Steve Sarkisian (Texas). has been done. However, unlike Day, Riley hasn’t won enough to deserve this contract. He started his career in Los Angeles with an 11-3 record in the Cotton Bowl, but struggled last year, going 8-5, losing a second-half lead against Penn State and losing the lead at Penn State. They have suffered some bad losses, including a loss, and are only 4-4. This year it’s Minnesota. Riley typically gets the most out of his quarterback, but the program as a whole still has a lot of room for improvement.
too early to tell
Jed Fisch, Washington
Salary: $7.7 million (6th, 19th)
He was only in his first year and had a lot of rebuilding to do after Cullen DeBoer left for Alabama. The Huskies are 4-4, but they also beat Michigan this year. It’s still too early to say which decision to make regarding Fisch, but if Fisch can get his recruiting efforts back on track, Washington is in a position to build on the momentum from last year’s College Football Playoff. Holding a bowl game this season may be difficult with USC, Penn State, UCLA and Oregon State in the back half of the schedule.
Sherone Moore, Michigan
Annual salary: $6 million (13th, 35th)
Michigan is paying Moore about half of what it would have paid Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh was destined to leave for the NFL, the NCAA made sure of that — but Michigan could have used the money to hire a proven coach. Instead, athletic director Ward Manuel rolled the dice on Moore, a first-time head coach who was highly regarded within the University of Michigan’s program. It’s too early to tell whether it was the right decision, but the early returns weren’t overwhelming.
even deeper
Meek: ‘Disappointed’ The challenge of starting over at Michigan is taking its toll on Sherone Moore
Deshaun Foster, UCLA
Annual salary: $3.25 million (17th, 58th)
Like Washington, UCLA has gone through many changes with head coaching changes, but Foster takes over with some familiarity with the players and program. The schedule was also not favorable to Foster. In their first five games, the Bruins faced four ranked teams in a row: Indiana, LSU, Oregon State, and Penn State. They’ve played better since then, defeating Rutgers last week after a close loss to Minnesota. The Bruins are far from title contention, but it’s a little early to tell if Foster can win a title.
sunk cost
Ryan Walters, Purdue
Annual salary: $4 million (16th, 52nd)
According to USA Today, Walters was purchased for $9.6 million. That number may have something to do with Purdue losing six straight games and falling to 5-14 under Walters. Purdue has undone much of the progress that took place under Jeff Brohm, who took the Boilermakers to bowl games in 2021 and 2022, in less than two seasons. Purdue’s role in the Big Ten is to be a nasty team with a fun offense, and that’s what it is. It’s not happening right now. How long can Purdue wait?
(Top photo of Ryan Day and Lincoln Riley: Joseph Maiorana and Matt Krohn/Imagn Images)
