With a salary of roughly $10 million, Lincoln Riley is sure making a lot of money for not that many wins at USC football. It does bring up the question: Is Riley one of the five most overpaid head coaches in college football right now? USA TODAY Sports addressed this specific question on the heels of the release of the list of college football head coaching salaries for 2024.
Without releasing the full list of the top five overpaid head coaches in college football, it’s worth sharing some insights on just one of the five men listed. Mike Norvell of Florida State is on that list. He merits a comparison with Riley because Norvell just did produce a tremendous season in 2023, going unbeaten. Now he is crashing and burning at Florida State one year later. Riley had a tremendous season at USC in 2022. Now he is struggling markedly. It does raise the question of how much time one great season should — and can — buy for a head coach who then struggles.
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