College football coaches end regular season with big bonuses

Oregon’s Mario Cristobal has racked up the greatest bonus total at $1.175 million.

By USA TODAY

Oregon coach Mario Cristobal celebrates with offensive lineman Shane Lemieux after the Ducks defeated Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

With conference championships decided and bowl bids handed out, college football head coaches at Bowl Subdivision public schools have picked up nearly $9.5 million in bonuses this season.

This past week alone, they totaled more than $2.5 million — and that’s just part of the overall incentive payout schools will make to assistant coaches, strength coaches, athletics directors and a range of team staffers.

For the first time, USA TODAY Sports has been tracking on a weekly basis the amounts public-school football head coaches are scheduled to be getting and for what achievements.

Below are details of amounts achieved since the end of the regular season. The information is based on contracts USA TODAY Sports obtained from the schools through open-records requests, and shows the coaches’ employers during the season. Since then, Lane Kiffin has moved from Florida Atlantic to Mississippi, Mike Norvell from Memphis to Florida State and Eli Drinkwitz has agreed to move from Appalachian State to Missouri.

Overall, Oregon’s Mario Cristobal has racked up the greatest total at $1.175 million. But LSU’s Ed Orgeron has $1.05 million and could pick up more from coaching honors and if the Tigers advance in the College Football Playoff. For some perspective on that: 39 FBS public-school head coaches were making less than $1 million in basic annual compensation from their respective schools this season.

Appalachian State: Eli Drinkwitz

$50,000: Win Sun Belt championship

Boise State: Bryan Harsin

$100,000: Win Mountain West championship

Central Michigan: Jim McElwain

$25,000: MAC coach of the year

Cincinnati: Luke Fickell

$50,000: Team among top 25 in final College Football Playoff ranking

Clemson: Dabo Swinney

$150,000: Win ACC championship
$150,000: Team plays in College Football Playoff semifinals (increases total for bowl play to $200,000 so far)

Florida: Dan Mullen

$100,000: Team plays in New Year’s Six non-semifinal (increases total for bowl play to $200,000)

Florida Atlantic: Lane Kiffin

$10,000: Win Conference USA championship

Georgia: Kirby Smart

$100,000: Team plays in New Year’s Six non-semifinal (increases total for bowl play to $175,000)

Hawaii: Nick Rolovich

$20,000: Mountain West coach of the year

Louisiana-Lafayette: Billy Napier

$25,000: Sun Belt coach of the year

Louisiana State: Ed Orgeron

$200,000: Win SEC championship
$225,000: Team plays in College Football Playoff semifinals (increases total for bowl play to $250,000 so far)

Louisville: Scott Satterfield

$50,000: ACC coach of the year

Memphis: Mike Norvell

$140,000: Team plays in New Year’s Six non-semifinal (increases total for bowl play to $175,000)
$20,000: Team among No. 25 through No. 11 in final College Football Playoff rankings

Miami (Ohio): Chuck Martin

$44,428: Win MAC championship

Minnesota: P.J. Fleck

$50,000: Selected Big Ten coach of the year by coaches

Ohio State: Ryan Day

$50,000: Selected Big Ten coach of the year by media members
$100,000: Win Big Ten championship
$250,000: Team plays in College Football Playoff semifinals

Oklahoma: Lincoln Riley

$50,000: Win Big 12 championship
$50,000: Team among top 5 in final CFP ranking
$125,000: Team plays in College Football Playoff semifinals (increases total for bowl play to $150,000 so far)