Nick Saban’s seven national championship wins have earned him the honor of being the greatest coach in college football history. And in Alabama? He has been honored with a nine-foot bronze statue on the Walk of Champions and a new office in the stadium. However, his greatness came at a huge cost when he retired.

AL.com obtained the NCAA financial reports for each of the SEC’s 15 public schools through some open record requests for fiscal year 2025. Alabama spent $25 million on football coaching salaries and benefits in the fiscal year, which was from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. The amount placed them second in the SEC, behind the Georgia Bulldogs at $26.3 million.

For the Crimson Tide, it was a massive drop from fiscal year 2024, where they spent a total of $47.4 million, doubling the expenses of second-placed Georgia at $23.7 million. Eventually, Alabama’s 2024 coaching expenses were linked to the costs of Saban’s retirement and DeBoer’s recruitment. The university explained the reasons in an email accompanying the NCAA revenues and expenses report, noting the expenses associated with the program’s coaching transition.

“The net loss reported for the year was largely due to one-time expenses associated with the football coaching transition,” an open records and project specialist at the university said in an email last January.

In Saban’s defense, the program ranked second in SEC coaching expenses in fiscal year 2023. Their total expenses cost $21.3 million. However, after he retired the following year, his replacement, DeBoer, signed an $87 million, eight-year contract at about $11 million per season. Alabama also paid a $12 million buyout to DeBoer’s former program, the Washington Huskies. These expenses increased their spending way beyond the usual range.

To prove that the 2024 expenses were a one-off, there was a $26.1 million reduction the following year. Despite this reduction, the situation may be entirely different in fiscal year 2026. There are projections of an increase in expenses once the fiscal year 2026 reports are released.

Head coach Kalen DeBoer recently signed a contract extension, which will pay him $12.5 million annually. He is tied with Ohio State’s Ryan Day at No. 4 on the list, with the pair only behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart and LSU Tigers’ Lane Kiffin at second and Indiana’s Curt Cignetti at first.

This new deal will see the program’s expenses increase in the coming fiscal years. Fiscal year reports typically cover the last six months of the previous year and the first six months of the current year.

Coaching expenses ranking for the SEC

The Georgia Bulldogs led the Southeastern Conference in coaching expenses in the 2025 fiscal year. With $26.3 million, they are the only ones ahead of Alabama.

Behind Alabama are the Texas Longhorns, who spent $23 million on coaching expenses. The Ole Miss Rebels joined the other three in crossing the $20 million mark, spending $20.1 million.

All schools in the conference spent more than $15 million, except for two. The Auburn Tigers were second-to-last in the conference, with $15.3 million spent on coaching pay. Last is the Mississippi State, which spent $11.2 million on football coaching expenses. They are the only program in the conference that spent less than $15 million.

As a private school, the Vanderbilt Commodores were not included, as only public schools are subject to open records laws.