Ohio State coach Ryan Day is now the second-highest paid coach in college football behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart after paying off his first national championship with a new contract. Day’s new seven-year deal, which was announced Thursday, is worth $12.5 million annually.
The nearly $2.5 million annual raise for Day vaults him from No. 5 in annual compensation to No. 2, according to the USA Today coaches salary database. USC’s Lincoln Riley, Texas‘ Steve Sarkisian and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney are the three coaches Day jumped with his new contract.
Since taking over from Urban Meyer as the Buckeyes’ full-time coach for the 2019 season, Day has steadily climbed the pay rankings. He initially made $4.5 million, which put him at No. 22 on the list. But while amassing a 70-10 record, Day’s salary has steadily increased.
Ryan Day contract: Ohio State rewards coach with extension, salary bump after national title victory
Will Backus
Day’s new deal means the three highest-paid coaches in college football are the only three active coaches who have won national championships. Swinney, who ranks third with a salary of $11.1 million, guided Clemson to titles in 2016 and 2018, while Smart led Georgia to titles in 2021 and 2022.
Smart became college football’s highest-paid coach last year when he and Georgia agreed to a revamped deal that will run through 2033 with average annual compensation of $13 million. Before Smart’s bump, he ranked behind Swinney and former Alabama coach Nick Saban in coach pay.
