Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher leads list of most-overpaid head coaches

Five head coaches listed as the most overpaid in the FBS are headlined by the Aggies’ leading man.

On Thursday, USA TODAY Sports released its annual FBS head coach salary database. One of the top stories that were produced to follow up on the database revolves around which head coaches are the most overpaid. One should have guessed that the Texas A&M Aggies head coach would be the top target.

Fisher has been in coaching at the collegiate level since 1988 when he began as a graduate assistant with Samford. After five seasons with Samford, Fisher began his SEC career with the Auburn Tigers. Overall, Fisher has been in the conference for 18 years.

While he has accomplished quite a bit in his collegiate career as a coordinator and head coach, Fisher has been the target of plenty of media scrutiny for his contract and the lack of accomplishments in College Station.

USA TODAY Sports released their top five most overpaid coaches, led by the Aggies’ head coach.

Fisher parlayed a national championship in 2013 and a fast-crumbling situation at Florida State into a 10-year, $75 million contract when he was hired at Texas A&M in 2018. After a 2020 pandemic affected season that saw the Aggies go 9-1 and nearly make the College Football Playoff, the school decided to give Fisher a new, fully guaranteed 10-year deal worth $95 million, with $100,000 pay raises every season. For that kind of loot, you would think Fisher has won two or three titles at A&M. Fisher’s record in College Station is a measly 37-17, with three bowl wins, zero conference titles and zero playoff appearances.

The Aggies are off this weekend but return to action on Oct. 22 when Texas A&M travels to Columbia to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks. The game can be seen on SEC Network at 6:30 PM CT.

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Brian Kelly’s salary for 2022 ranks among the highest in college football

Where does Brian Kelly rank in salary?

When the 2021 college football season kicked off, then head coach Ed Orgeron was one of the highest-paid coaches. He ranked just second behind Nick Saban. As we head into the 2022 campaign, now LSU head coach Brian Kelly will be among the highest-paid.

Only two head coaches will receive more than Kelly in the 2022 season according to this report from 247Sports.

  • Lincoln Riley, USC: $10 million (estimated)
  • Nick Saban, Alabama: $9.9 million (estimated)

Coming in at No. 3 is LSU’s Brian Kelly, who is tied with Michigan State’s Mel Tucker at $9.5 million.

Gus Stark/LSU Athletics

What 247Sports Says…

LSU’s new coach had to walk back his “fairy godmother” remarks after taking the job with the Tigers. Brian Kelly was asked earlier this season at Notre Dame if he could ever see himself leaving the Fighting Irish for another job. Kelly definitively said no, unless a “fairy godmother” dropped a “$250 million” contract in his lap, which would make him reconsider. It happened. LSU lured Kelly away from South Bend, Indiana, with an expansive deal earlier this month. The Tigers will shell out $95 million over a 10-year deal that is sure to expand if Kelly proves his worth early.

The Rest of the List:

  • Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M: $9 million
  • David Shaw, Stanford: $9 million
  • Dabo Swinney, Clemson: $8.5 million
  • James Franklin, Penn State: $8.5 million
  • Mario Cristobal, Miami: $8 million
  • Ryan Day, Ohio State: $7.6 million

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