Ohio State’s Day among handful of $10M coaches
The pay raise received by Ryan Day this past spring has put him in a small club of head coaches who are earning more than $10 million this season, according to USA TODAY Sports’ annual compensation survey.
Day, who is due a compensation package from Ohio State that is worth about $10.2 million, is among only five coaches at public schools across the Football Bowl Subdivision making in the eight figures.
Nick Saban, the six-time national championship-winning coach at Alabama, is the highest-paid among them, receiving $11.4 million in total compensation, followed by Clemson’s Dabo Swinney at $10.9 million and Georgia Kirby Smart at $10.7 million. Swinney and Smart have also each won two national titles.
Among the $10 million coaches, Day ranks ahead of Mel Tucker, who was due to see just over that amount this season, but was fired last week by Michigan State for inappropriate conduct. The school is seeking to dismiss Tucker for cause over allegations that he sexually harassed Brenda Tracy, a prominent rape survivor and activist, though he plans to contest the step through a wrongful termination suit.
The total compensation for Day adds up to $10.27 million, a figure that includes a $75,000 endorsement deal with Kroger that is listed on his outside income report.
The next highest-paid Big Ten coaches are Penn State’s James Franklin and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, who rank 11th and 12th in the survey with total compensation of $8.5 million and $8.25 million, respectively.
Seven of the 10 highest-paid coaches in the nation are from the Southeastern Conference.
Day is 49-6 at the helm at Ohio State and last year received a contract extension through 2029 that subjects him to annual raises to his compensation.