On the field in college football, huge salaries do not necessarily translate into huge victory. The coaches who are amongst the best paid in the game have not been able to perform as per their salaries. USA TODAY has come up with five head coaches who are presently considered the most overpaid persons in the country and two of them belong to the SEC.
The following is a closer examination of each name in the list:
Lincoln Riley, USC – $11.5 million
Fans thought that the USC would rebound to prominence when Lincoln Riley was lured off Oklahoma in late 2021. His first year promised to be better than ever, charging on Heisman winner Caleb Williams and a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game. But the Trojans have since slipped astray. Following the 11-3 start of 2022, USC dropped to 8-5 in 2023 and 7-6 in 2024, the first season in the Big Ten. Elite offensive figures have not managed to topple the defense of Riley, who is causing so much doubt to be asked on whether his immense salary is still worth the money.
Bill Belichick, UNC – $10.1 million
Tar Heels headlines their recruitment of the NFL legend Bill Belichick to reverse their program. Thus far it has not worked out as planned. UNC has begun 2-3 this season, and 0-1 in conference action, being weak at both ends of the ball. Critics have habitually put the Heels down by 30 or more and the offense cannot even get past 14. Belichick is making in excess of 10 million yearly and the initial performance has brought eyebrows in the college football world.
Luke Fickell, Wisconsin -$7.7 million
Fickell had high expectations when he came to Madison, after succeeding in Cincinnati. His inaugural season gave 7-6 record and a bowl appearance, which soon lost momentum. The Badgers ended 5-7 last year and have had a poor 2-3 start this year, with the lowest ranking in the Big Ten. Even with a two-year contract renewed until the year 2031, Wisconsin fans are even inquiring whether they have paid too much and received very little in line of progress.
Billy Lapier, Florida -7.4 million
Having performed well at Louisiana, Billy Napier was regarded as a new giant in Florida. The Gators have only three seasons and are still trying to make a footing. Napier has teams that have been 19-19 overall with a low 8-5 last year. The 2025 campaign has not served it well as Florida is 2-3 overall and 1-1 in SEC play. With a show that is being used to win championships, the performance has not been equating with the salary.
Hugh Freeze, Auburn – $6.7 million
The initial three seasons of Hugh Freeze at Auburn are not smooth sailing. The Tigers are only 14-16 since he came with one appearance in the bowl and no major championships. Auburn had a short-lived spell in the Top 25 at the beginning of this season but lack of consistency has prevented them to remain there. The improvements have been sporadic but the fans are becoming impatient with how the progress has been made considering the salary of Freeze.
The coaches of large-time programs make mega-money to bring about the championships or at least consistent improvement. But these five names reveal high pay does not necessarily make high performance.
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