On Tuesday, the University of Alabama Board of Trustees’ compensation committee agreed to pay Nick Saban $11.125 million this season under a three-year contract extension that includes a $4 million signing bonus.
The eight-year deal will run through Jan. 31, 2025 and is scheduled to pay Saban $65 million, not including incentive bonuses that could total $700,000 each year. He is set to earn $11.125 million this season. According to USA TODAY who has long tracked coach salaries, that amount is by far the greatest amount paid to a college athletics coach - including football and men's basketball coaches. It also likely makes him one of the nation's most highly paid public employees - if not the highest-paid.
Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski was credited with nearly $9.7 million in total compensation the 2011 calendar year, including bonuses and the value of all perks, according to the school's federal tax returns, although $775,000 of that amount was deferred compensation that had been reported on prior years' returns.
More details from USA TODAY:
In each year of the deal, Saban's base salary will be $245,000 and his talent fee will be $6.48 million. The contract-year completion payments will vary.
After the 2017 season, when the contract-year completion payment would be $400,000, Saban's deal is scheduled to pay:
$7.125 million in 2018, including a $400,000 contract-year completion payment.
$7.525 million in 2019 and again in 2020, including contract-year completion payments of $800,000.
$10.325 million in 2021, including a contract-year completion payment of $3.6 million.
$7.125 million in each of the deal's final three years, during which each contract-completion payment is scheduled to be $400,000.
"Terry and I are pleased and happy to agree to the contract extension The University of Alabama has offered us, ensuring our time here in Tuscaloosa will continue for many more years," Saban said in a release.
"This has become our home and we are looking forward to finishing our career at Alabama. I want to thank President Bell, Greg Byrne, our athletic administration, football staff and the entire University community for all of their support, which has been instrumental in the success of our organization. We are extremely proud of the young men who have represented the Crimson Tide on the football field, and more importantly, what they have been able to accomplish in their lives off the field because of their involvement in our program."
Saban is currently 65 years of age (born on October 31, 1951). As it stands now, this contract will run through his 73rd birthday.
ASSISTANTS
Nick Saban isn’t the only one getting a bump. Below are the new salaries for Tide assistants per 247Sports. The number in parenthesis represents the salary prior to the raise obtained.
- Jeremy Pruitt -- $1.3 million for 2017, $1.4 million for 2018, $1.5 million for 2019 ($1 million)
- Brian Daboll -- $1.2 million through Feb. 29, 2020
- Tosh Lupoi -- $950,000 through Feb. 29, 2020 ($550,000)
- Mike Locksley -- $600,000 through Feb. 28, 2019
- Scott Cochran -- $535,000 through Feb. 29, 2020 ($525,000)
- Burton Burns -- $490,000 through Feb. 28, 2019 ($475,000)
- Derrick Ansley -- $405,000 through Feb. 28, 2019 ($395,000)
- Brent Key -- $400,000 through Feb. 28, 2019 ($350,000)
- Joe Pannunzio -- $375,000 through Feb. 28, 2019
- Karl Dunbar -- $275,000 in 2017, $575,000 in 2018 ($275,000)
Lupoi, a non-coordinator, has a new salary that puts him on a higher pay scale than more than 50 FBS head coaches.
AD Greg Byrne’s first contract was approved for five years, $900,000 and will increase $25,000 per year.