Under Mike Elko’s second year with Texas A&M, the team is undefeated. That’s unprecedented for the program, which had a 9-0 start back in 1992. That surely comes with its rewards, like a playoff berth and even a national title contention. However, for Mike Elko, this has resulted in a substantial salary increase, positioning him among the highest-paid head coaches nationwide.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Mike Elko is currently finalizing a new six-year contract with Texas A&M. “Texas A&M coach Mike Elko is finalizing a new six-year contract that will make him one of the country’s Top 5 paid coaches. Elko has A&M undefeated and in the Top 3 of the CFP.” While the exact figure hasn’t been released yet, the update puts Mike Elko in an elite club with coaches like Kirby Smart and Ryan Day.

How much will Mike Elko earn in a year?

Kirby Smart currently earns the highest salary in college football. The Georgia head coach takes home a whopping $13.28 million salary per year and has a bonus of $1.77 million in his contract. The buyout, too, isn’t cheap and stands at an unprecedented figure of $105 million, making him the most job-secure coach in the country. However, Mike Elko now occupies the highest position in that hierarchy, alongside Kirby Smart and others.

According to Billy Liucci, a trusted Aggies insider, Elko is set to earn an average salary of $11.5 million annually. “Texas A&M is extending head coach Mike Elko. Per sources, the extension will be for an additional six years with an average salary of $11.5 million per year,” wrote Liucci on X. The sum excludes the potential seven-figure bonuses Mike Elko will earn, and it surely places him at least as the fourth-highest-paid highest paid head coach in the country.

Ryan Day, after his 2024 natty win, extended his contract with Ohio State and takes home $12.57 million per year. This makes him the second-highest-paid head coach. In the third spot is USC’s Lincoln Riley. According to reports, the Trojans’ head coach earns $11.53 million per year, making him the third-highest-paid head coach in the country. So, Mike Elko’s reported $11.5 million sum just sits $300,000 shy of Riley’s contract. However, it is more than likely that Mike Elko’s payout may even exceed Riley’s, making him the third-highest-paid head coach.

Does Mike Elko deserve those big bucks Texas A&M is handing out?

When Elko arrived in the 2024 season, after Jimbo Fisher’s costly $77 million firing, his contract was incentive-based. The head coach at the time earned around $7 million annually, which was 32nd in the country. Apart from that, Elko also had an $11 million pool for assistants’ salaries, along with $1 million for achieving a CFP berth. However, with the new contract, the bonuses would also be quite enormous.

It’s also to be noted that the new contract would put Mike Elko ahead of 2 time national champion Dabo Swinney. Swinney is currently the 4th highest paid head coach, earning $11.44 million annually, and has a buyout of $60 million with Clemson. That surely is remarkable in itself, since earning that money in just his second year with the Aggies for Elko is remarkable. But the results are continuing, and that matters for Aggies who haven’t seen natty success since 1939.

The program’s hierarchy is pleased with the job Elko has done, just in his second season as the head coach. Elko’s offense ranks 17th nationally in 2025, amassing 459.8 yards per game. The defense, too, is top-notch, ranked 22nd nationally, conceding just 317.3 yards per game. Not to mention, Aggies’ D-line is second highest in sacks (34), making their natty hopes finally within reach this year.

Elko deserves all the praise and the bonus that comes with it. Currently, after renewing his contract, it will stand at around $69 million, excluding bonuses. However, since the bonuses have not been revealed yet, we could even see Elko earn around $12 million annually.