Who started this out of control coaches contract spending?

#27
#27
I think Saban was paid around $9 million when a reporter asked the Alabama President how they justify paying a football coach over $9 million a year. He said that's easy, upon Nick Saban's arrival in Alabama our revenues are up over $100million! Also, the TV contracts are paying big bucks to all conference programs now. And winning coaches sell a lot more team merch!
For CEO's in big corporations, salary is small and incentives are stock price related and performance based. Most income is from stock options, not salary. In football its wins but you pay up front to get the performance.
 
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#29
#29
A 2022 Escalade is $100K plus tax
Every damn thing is crazy expensive anymore
Part of the times
 
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#30
#30
I mean most these guys wouldn’t be getting these contracts if not for the money programs have coming in.
 
#31
#31
HiltonHeadVol said:
I'm going to say it was our ole buddy James Franklin who fired the first shot calling for the mega salary for a middlin' coach. Yep, he wanted in the neighborhood of $9 million per year from Tennessee last year (this stated on OutKick 360 podcast out of Nashville Chad Withrow & Co). And D White at the direction of or President and boosters said "no thanks". But he ends up getting it anyway for a 5 loss (and maybe 6) season at Penn State!! Of course the one that really cashed in first was Mel Tucker at MSU who got a $95 million deal guaranteed after posting the worst pass defense (or almost the worst) in the nation. You can't blame Saban for starting this, because he was a bargain and actually delivered excellence well beyond his contract.
But this trend of massive over-spending would seem to risk the financial solvency of our institutions. There is going to be some school that takes a massive hit for all this drunken sailor money. You are going to soon see a coach who has the huge contract and fails - a program may have no choice but to ride his fall into the ground, crash and burn. It concerns me for the longevity for the college game. Much like NIL scares me. Genie out of the bottle now I suppose. I wonder if we will still care about all this 5 years from now, or if we will just drift away from the sport? Time will tell. I hope this gets a re-set at some point without ruining the sport.
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Supply and demand and a free market economy. It’s a beautiful thing that will self correct if it gets out of control
 
#32
#32
Dudleys87 said:
At he can justify his salary
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I don't know if Saban has earned his 9 mil this year. They have looked mediocre the last half of the season, and he's staring down the barrel of a 2 loss season. I think Bammer could find a better use for his 9 million. Maybe bring Butch back for some remedial classes.
 
#33
#33
greenbacknative said:
I don't know if Saban has earned his 9 mil this year. They have looked mediocre the last half of the season, and he's staring down the barrel of a 2 loss season. I think Bammer could find a better use for his 9 million. Maybe bring Butch back for some remedial classes.
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They’ll find a way around Georgia. Some way somehow they’ll auburn iron bowl the SECCG and that’s all we’ll hear about until the playoffs start
 
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#35
#35
TV contracts giving schools so much money has alot to do with it. Its impossible for a school to do the old lie of we break even so we had to bring in so and so for 2 million a year. Every fan knows the schools have loads of money to spend at these power schools.
 
#36
#36
I would love to see a very low base salary for all coaches. However, If you perform you get paid and paid really well. If you suck, you don't get paid. You know kinda like real life.

I would have 0 problem with paying our head coach 10 million dollars if he wins a Natty. Great for everyone.
I would also, have 0 problem with paying our head coach 100K for winning 4 games. This is a very livable wage in Knoxville.
 
#37
#37
BIGORANGEBUBBA said:
I thought Jimbo cashed in before everyone else
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That's kinda what I was thinking.

Jimbo got a $75 million deal 3 years ago which changed the CFB landscape. People kind of accepted Urban, Saban, and Dabo getting that kind of coin but that contract caused a large number of people to look up.

Since then, it seems schools are trying to outdo each other on how much they are spending for a coach. Hell, A&M just gave Jimbo a new $95 million 10 year contract right before this craziness started this year.

I just don't think Jimbo is worth it. Ditto for Mel, Franklin, and Kelly.

Makes Heups roughly $4 million seem like a bargain.
 
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#38
#38
Alabama started it. It worked for them so everyone does it now. At the time Saban came to Alabama I believe Urban at 2.5 was the highest paid coach with very few others at 2 mil. Saban got 4, virtually doubling the highest paid guys at the time. The race was on after that.
 
#40
#40
The SEC TV deal with ESPN is what caused this. Greed is what caused this. TV money ruins everything it touches sooner or later. This is no different. All that money from ESPN, annually, giving the SEC spending power. Coaches know this. And their agents know it too.
 
#41
#41
You don't see a whole lot of college football coaches getting a gold watch, a nice thanks for 30 years of loyal service certificates, and a retirement party on their way out the door. Few of them last long enough to get the benefit of the full terms of their contracts whether it's for 5 years or 10. They have to get their money on the front end of their earning days, say between the ages of 35 and 50. Because most of them are sidelined well before that.
 
#43
#43
When Saban crossed the $4 million mark, I think that is what started it. Add in the ESPN money for the gasoline. It's about to get really crazy once the new tv deals are announced. Kentucky is paying their football coach over $5 million. Rewind 10 years and read that sentence...what would our reactions be. It's only going to get crazier. I just hope these NIL deals allow the players to cash in some.
 
#44
#44
HiltonHeadVol said:
I'm going to say it was our ole buddy James Franklin who fired the first shot calling for the mega salary for a middlin' coach. Yep, he wanted in the neighborhood of $9 million per year from Tennessee last year (this stated on OutKick 360 podcast out of Nashville Chad Withrow & Co). And D White at the direction of or President and boosters said "no thanks". But he ends up getting it anyway for a 5 loss (and maybe 6) season at Penn State!! Of course the one that really cashed in first was Mel Tucker at MSU who got a $95 million deal guaranteed after posting the worst pass defense (or almost the worst) in the nation. You can't blame Saban for starting this, because he was a bargain and actually delivered excellence well beyond his contract.
But this trend of massive over-spending would seem to risk the financial solvency of our institutions. There is going to be some school that takes a massive hit for all this drunken sailor money. You are going to soon see a coach who has the huge contract and fails - a program may have no choice but to ride his fall into the ground, crash and burn. It concerns me for the longevity for the college game. Much like NIL scares me. Genie out of the bottle now I suppose. I wonder if we will still care about all this 5 years from now, or if we will just drift away from the sport? Time will tell. I hope this gets a re-set at some point without ruining the sport.
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What you say rings true. But "crashing and burning" needs to be looked at with just a little more perspective. Most of these guys are not young, say most are middle to upper 40's. If this guy is say 42 when he signs a contract that would pay him 4 mil a year for 5 years and he was let go after 2 - 3 years, well I and most anyone I know would do the deal knowing if I held on for those 2-3 years I would be set for a good life. I also would know I likely could find a job to "fill in" my financial needs and "idle time".
 
#45
#45
DaddyChad said:
I mean most these guys wouldn’t be getting these contracts if not for the money programs have coming in.
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Big TV conference contracts changed everything. Schools getting million $ double figure payouts from TV every year makes for big athletic budgets.
 
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#46
#46
ESPN started this with the mega contracts. As long as they can sell ads to justify paying the football powers then it will continue. I know that Clay Travis speculated it was a giant entertainment bubble sometime back but it appears to continue growing at a massive rate and the schools will continue the arms race with coaches, buildings and facilities
 
#47
#47
Vfl83 said:
It was Saban unfortunately that raised the salary bar to these heights
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You can blame Saban but I would ask how he is responsible for $9M salaries for coaches who have not even won a conference championship, much less a national championship. Saban had already done both.

Also, given inflation has caused prices to increase about 30% in the last 15 years, paying these non-producing coaches 125% more that Saban's original contract salary is not something I will put on Saban.

Give me conference and national championships before paying a coach these high salaries.
 
#50
#50
The fact that a successful football program generates ungodly revenues that account for 90+% of the athletic budget at many schools is the reason. Plus, the intangibles like more student applications, publicity, etc.

As was pointed out above, Alabama quickly realized the gold mine it has in Saban and really got it rolling. He is worth every penny to that university.
 
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