The 2025 season saw plenty of upheaval at the head-coach level. In total, 15 HCs were fired or forced out during the cycle. In some cases, it included huge buyouts, with Brian Kelly getting nearly $54 million from LSU. But there was another side to the equation as well.

At least 12 Power 4 coaches signed extensions or restructured deals during and after the 2025 season. Kalen DeBoer is the latest to get extended by Alabama. All of this happened in a historic season that saw Indiana win its first national championship. Much before the national championship game, the program knew the direction Curt Cignetti was taking them. That got him a deserved extension and a seat at the top of college football.

According to a list released by On3, Cignetti is the highest-paid coach in the country, having signed his extension last October with an average annual salary of $11.6 million. However, the finer details included a ‘good market faith review’ clause if the Hoosiers reach the playoffs semifinals. Indiana did better than that when they defeated Miami to lift the national championship.

As a result, Cignetti’s compensation stands at $13.02 million, the highest in college football. This is a huge jump from last season, when he ranked 18th with an annual salary of $8.3 million. The Indiana head coach is followed by Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who is making $13 million. This is also what the third-place Lane Kiffin is making after LSU hired him on a seven-year, $91 million contract.

The three are followed by Ohio State’s Ryan Day, who is making $12.5 million after signing an extension last year as a reward for leading the program to a national championship. Tied with Day at 4th is Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer. The final five head coaches in the top 10 are USC’s Lincoln Riley ($11.5 million), Clemson’s Dabo Swinney ($11.5 million), Texas’ Steve Sarkisian ($11.05 million), Texas A&M’s Mike Elko ($10.75 million), and Oregon’s Dan Lanning ($10.6 million).

Cignetti, 64, has decided that Indiana will be his last school before he retires. He is 27-2 in Indiana and helped the Hoosiers win their first outright Big Ten title since 1945. “I couldn’t be more proud to be a Hoosier,” Cignetti said. “The way that this state has embraced us and our success in football has meant more to me than anything else.”

The head coach’s new contract includes a $15 million buyout if he leaves for another team, while the program would owe him his full salary if it fires him without cause. Scott Delson, the Athletics director, has taken every effective measure to ensure the HC has a good tenure under them.

“We’re all-in, and going to continue to invest and make certain that we’ve got our priorities in line,” athletic director Scott Dolson told ESPN. “[Cignetti is] Priority 1, and then it’s retaining our staff, and it’s having the resources to build a roster.”

Kirby Smart maintains his position near the top

Kirby Smart, who is in second place as the highest-paid head coach, was the only coach last year with a salary of $13 million. The HC has maintained his position near the top of the list because of Georgia’s achievements under him over the past decade. He has led the Bulldogs to the CFP four times in the past five years.

However, despite winning back-to-back SEC Championships, Georgia didn’t have a great finish to their 2025 campaign. The Bulldogs fell to Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl despite being heavy favorites. But Smart is happy with how his team is progressing this year.

“Happy and pleased with the spring overall,” Smart said. “I thought we had a good spring. I thought our guys got better. We got probably more reps than we’ve ever gotten before in terms of 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s on a full body of work.”