College football's finest are getting paid more and more every day. Here’s a list of the top paid coaches in college football… Are they worth the money? Do you agree?
Urban Meyer, Florida $3,200,000 – WORTH IT
There’s no doubt that Florida fans don’t mind footing the bill for Meyer. He’s only been with the Gators for 3 complete seasons, and he’s already brought them the SEC title and a National Championship. With the USA Today Coach’s Poll ranking Florida at #5, the folks in Gainesville have high expectations for the upcoming season, and there’s no doubt that Coach Meyer has the highest of them all.
Bobby Bowden, Florida State $2,500,000 – WORTH IT
Coach Bowden may not have the wins behind him the past couple of years, but the $2.5M paycheck is a fine gesture and well deserved in recognition of the 12 conference titles and 2 National Championships he has brought Tallahassee since 1992. Not to mention he is playing leap-frog with Joe Pa for the winningest coach of all time. By the way, Bowden has been with the Seminoles since 1976 (31 years) and has had only one losing season… his first.
Philip Fulmer, Tennessee $3,000,000 –NOT WORTH IT
Entering his 16th season as the Volunteers head coach, Fulmer has brought 2 conference titles and one National Championship. His longevity and winning record are unmatched in the SEC. His biggest weakness, though, is that he can’t seem to win big games. Recurring losses against conference rivals are starting to bother Tennessee fans, and that doesn’t look like it will change this year either. Fulmer’s involvement with a case involving an Alabama booster that landed the Crimson Tide on probation several years ago is finally catching up to him. He will be in court testifying of his involvement in the case two days before the Vols play Auburn, which happens to be an away game. If Fulmer is going to gain support from the Tennessee fan-base, he’s going to have to win big games.
Tommy Tuberville, Auburn $2,600,000 – NOT WORTH IT
24 comments Last one added 4 months ago — Leave a Comment
BabyTate 11 months ago
Jake, I don't understand the parameters you have set here. Are you suggesting that income from the sale of tickets and merchandise has fallen off while these men are coaching at the school and therefore it is a poor investment to maintain the contract?
What are you basing the worth—not worth decision upon?
You may wish to do a follow up article which compares the amount of money paid out versus percentage increase or decrease in season ticket sales just as one example of establishing a baseline for your idea.
An interesting concept, I feel you have potential to explore this idea in some depth in future articles.
Edit Comment Cancel
Jake Jenkins 11 months ago
BabyTate -
First, thanks for the comment. I welcome the constructive criticism.
That said, the answer to your question is there are no parameters. Worth-not-worth is based upon one simple statement: are you doing the job they are paying you to do. For some coaches, that's bringing home a National Championship. For other coaches its a conference title. It varies from coach to coach and program to program.
Your question concerning income from the sale of tickets and merchandise is not a valid question in my opinion (at least for these teams). Most of these teams listed have such a huge fan-base that it won't matter who the coach is, they stay faithful. Good coaches come and go, and these teams don't rely upon national championships to keep their merchandise up.
I don't know the sources, but coaches hot seat has a cost-per-win algorithm that is neat (that is, if it's accurate). http://www.coacheshotseat.com/SalariesContracts.htm
Edit Comment Cancel
BabyTate 11 months ago
So, Jake you're looking at it from a psychological point of view. Do the schools and fans feel they're getting what they pay for?
OK, I'll buy that.
Keep up the good work and I'll be looking forward to your next article.
Edit Comment Cancel
Rob Sansing 11 months ago
nick saban: $4M to LOSE to la-monroe and you think he's "worth it". I think the bama fans should demand a refund!!
Edit Comment Cancel
Chad Haynie 11 months ago
He also brought in Alabama's first ever #1 recruiting class in the nation. There were a lot of positives and negatives to 2007.
I would personally hold off on judgement of Saban at Alabama.
Of course most Auburn like yourself are going to say he isn't worth it and most Alabama fans are going to say he is.
I don't think it's fair to say he is worth it until he starts bringing hardware home to Tuscaloosa (more than just the Independence Bowl trophy) and I also think he should be given time before someone can say he isn't worth it.
You don't turn around a SEC program overnight. It does take time.
Edit Comment Cancel
Jordan Tippitt 11 months ago
i dont see how tommy tuberville isnt worth it for auburn when he definately had the best team in the nation in 2004.
and jim tressel has never even beat an sec team in a bowl game before. the last two showings the buckeyes have had in national championship games has done nothing but made the big ten look bad and spawned message boards and websites that demand the buckeyes not being allowed back in this year.
Edit Comment Cancel
James Doker 11 months ago
I don't know how you can say that Tuberville definitely had the best team in the nation in 2004. Did you watch that season? The best you could say is that he might have had the best team, or perhaps that he had a team that deserved to be in the title game. But to say that 2004 Auburn was definitely better than 2004 USC is just crazy.
With that said, though, I agree with you that Tuberville is worth his salary. The article is completely off-base saying that the only thing holding him at Auburn is the streak over 'Bama. That's just ridiculous.
As for Tressel, I don't know how you can say he's not worth the price. Ohio State may have lost the last two championships, but there's no way you can rationally say he's a bad coach. He's obviously done much more than make the Big Ten look bad. He's got a national championship and he's finished in the top 5 of the polls enough times to justify whatever salary OSU wants to pay him.
Edit Comment Cancel
BabyTate 11 months ago
Jordan—Ohio State has one win over an SEC team since 1935.
Edit Comment Cancel
Jordan Tippitt 11 months ago
but if tressel is so great then y cant he win any?
Edit Comment Cancel
Kristofer Green 11 months ago
Jordan-
It's about opportunity. Jim Tressel is only responsible for three of those losses. As for Jim Tressel making the Big 10 look bad... it's a matter of perception. What looks worse? Taking a team to back to back National title games and losing? Or not getting to a bowl at all? Look at what Jim Tressel has accomplished in the 7 seasons he's been at OSU and he is totally worth the money.
The backlash against OSU is just perception. People only remember what is fresh.
Edit Comment Cancel
Noah Dreams 11 months ago
Miles got a raise and LSU is paying him more than Saban. Go Figure
http://blog.nola.com/gladow/2008/08/miles_vs_saban_does_money_matt.html
Edit Comment Cancel
Jordan Tippitt 11 months ago
the point was more that jim tressel is not as good of a coach as tommy tuberville. Tuberville beat the same gators that clobered ohio state in the championship game
Edit Comment Cancel
Kristofer Green 11 months ago
Jordan-
You can't justify saying Tommy Tuberville is a better coach than Jim Tressel because Auburn beat Florida and Florida beat Ohio State. Because by that same reasoning then I can say Jim Tressel is a better coach than Urban Meyer because Ohio State beat Michigan and Michigan beat Florida. It just doesn't work that way.
Edit Comment Cancel
Jordan Tippitt 11 months ago
tha was just one reason tubberville was better. he is in a better conference and has shown on two different teams in that conference that he has what it takes to win. jim tressel has won the big ten several times but big deal, who is his competition?
Edit Comment Cancel
David Wunderlich 11 months ago
In the five seasons from 1999-2003, Tuberville was 38-24 with two fruitless trips to Atlanta. In the four seasons since, he's 42-9 with two Atlanta trips, one of them successful and in a perfect 13-0 season.
It clearly took some time to get the program back up after the 3-8 season in 1998, and perhaps it took Tuberville a while to get the hang of being a head coach too. Whatever the case, he's been excellent the past four seasons and definitely worth the money.
Edit Comment Cancel
Rob Sansing 11 months ago
thanks, david. tubs is the best coach in America in "big games" (based on his record vs top 10 teams), as your gators can painfully attest to.
best wishes for a great season, maybe it'll be the gators & auburn in atlanta!!
Edit Comment Cancel
David Wunderlich 11 months ago
I did a full article on Tuberville a while back you'd probably be interested in*.
From 1999-2003, Tuberville was just 3-14 against teams that finished the year with a .750 winning percentage or better. From '04 on, he's 9-4 in such games. I can't say that quite qualifies him as best in the country (Pete Carroll is 15-5 in these games since 2001), but he's up there.
*http://bleacherreport.com/articles/29683-a-tale-of-two-tommys-tuberville-at-auburn-and-bowden-at-clemson
Edit Comment Cancel
Rob Sansing 11 months ago
thanks for the heads up. enjoyed the "tale of 2 tommys" and several other of your past articles.
Edit Comment Cancel
Lisa Horne 11 months ago
Hi!
I just want to point out that Pete Carroll did not win back-to-back BCS title games. He did win back-to-back National Championships, but one was an AP and one was a BCS championship. And yes, he's definitely worth it.
As a Notre Dame fan, I understand you saying Weis was not worth it must be hurt a lot- I hope he does better this year. I have a feeling any progress made will be due to a softer schedule, but as a fan, you have to take whatever you can. Good luck!
Edit Comment Cancel
BabyTate 11 months ago
We should examine this Kirk Ferentz situation. That is an artifically high salary for this man. He doesn't have the overall record to support such a salary if you compare him to Jim Tressel who makes $100,000 less. I read on the Iowa State board that Ferentz is little more than a publicity stunt, and that his record is only 19-18 the past 3 years, that his reputation around the state doesn't compare to Hayden Fry, and that he survives by political pull in the state capitol. I suppose we have to consider the source, being the arch rival Cyclones but, he is the most outlandish situation that Jake has exposed in this article.
Edit Comment Cancel
Chris Moeller 11 months ago
I'm just going to say that Tressel is not worth it. He has taken his team to the championship three straight years and lost. That is undeserving. If they knock off USC and deservingly earn there way to the title game this year, I may change my mind.
I know I am biased, but Tuberville has proven to be well worth the money. He went undefeated in 04' as we all know, and he fought to get us a shot at the national championship but the cards did not fall. He cannot be faulted for not deserving a national championship that year. He did all that he had to do, win the West, win the SEC, beat #7 VT, go undefeated...to win a championship. He is worth it.
I agree with everyone else especially Weis. He won one game last year at Notre Dame. What an embarrassment to a storied program. If they don't make a bowl this year, his job security is in serious jeopardy.
Edit Comment Cancel
James Doker 11 months ago
re: Tressel
He hasn't lost the championship three straight times, only two straight times. I don't know where you got your facts, but you're just plain wrong.
The season before the championship appearances (2005), they finished #4 after a Fiesta Bowl win. In 2003, they also finished #4. In 2002, #1.
He may have lost two national championships, but that still means he got his team to two consecutive championship games. And he's already won one. He has also won 4 conference championships and 3 BCS bowls in his 7 years there, so he's getting the job done pretty well.
Of his 7 years at OSU, only once did his team finish outside of the polls: his first season. And only one other time did they finish outside of the top 5.
That's right, in 5 of his 7 years at OSU his team finished in the top 5.
To say Tressel is not worth his salary is completely ludicrous.
Edit Comment Cancel
Chris Moeller 11 months ago
James, sorry I messed up the facts. I didn't mean to. I totally respect Tressel. I have nothing against him or his accomplishments. I just feel that if you lose two straight championships, it has to be the coaching...They were destroyed by Florida and that's all mental preparation...on the shoulders of Tressel. I will not deny his dominance as far as finishing in the top 5 every year. I just expect a man who carries his team into championship contention every year to finish. The Big 10 has been week as of late, and OSU making it through unscathed has been a joke. But this year, with Illinois, Wisconsin, and Penn St, I absolutely believe OSU will be deserving. I apologize for putting down the old guy in the sweater. Thanks for correcting my facts.
Edit Comment Cancel
John W 4 months ago
Gentleman,
I only have 2 words for you. Beamer Ball! Why isn't Frank Beamer in the list of all thes great coaches. Every since the Hokies was in the Big East, we dominated the game in all aspects. Case in point, we won the Big East title how many times? Since joining the ACC, we have won that conference 3 out of 4 yrs, we have consistently in the top for special teams & defensive turnovers almost every year, & finally we have also been in the top percent of the most effective defense in the NCAA for the last several years w/the help of a great Defensive coach Bud Foster. With these type of credientials, how can you possibly not consider the Hokie's Frank Beamer?
Edit Comment Cancel
Leave a Comment
You must register to post a comment.