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2025 SEC football coaches salaries highest to lowest

ByBrian Stultz|
Sep 28, 2024; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze watches his team warm up before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images
Sep 28, 2024; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze watches his team warm up before the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images | John Reed-Imagn Images

SEC football is essential, and the 16 coaches in charge of the conference's programs spent a majority of their time trying to win in the deepest, most talented conference in college football.

Their time and effort are richly rewarded with some of the highest salaries in the sport, led by Georgia's Kirby Smart, who leads all of college football coaches with a salary that pays him more than $13 million annually.

On Wednesday, USA TODAY Sports released its annual list of coach salaries. Here is where everyone, from Smart to Hugh Freeze to Clark Lea, ranks.

1. Kirby Smart (Georgia)

Kirby Smart
Sep 27, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart reacts in the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Total Salary: $13,282,580

National Rank: 1st

Overall Record (at school): 109-20

2. Steve Sarkisian (Texas)

Total Salary: $10,800,000

National Rank: 5th

Overall Record: 41-19

3. Kalen DeBoer (Alabama)

Total Salary: $10,250,000

National Rank: 7th

Overall Record: 13-25

4. Brian Kelly (LSU)

Brian Kelly
Sep 6, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly looks on against Louisiana Tech Bulldogs during the second half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Total Salary: $10,175,000

National Rank: 8th

Overall Record: 33-12

5. Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss)

Total Salary: $9,000,000

National Rank: 10th

Overall Record: 49-18

6. Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri)

Total Salary: $9,000,000

National Rank: 11th

Overall Record: 43-24

7. Josh Heupel (Tennessee)

Josh Heupel
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel during a NCAA football game between Tennessee and UAB at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., September 20, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Total Salary: $9,000,000

National Rank: 12th

Overall Record: 41-16

8. Mark Stoops (Kentucky)

Total Salary: $9,000,000

National Rank: 13th

Overall Record: 69-76

9. Shane Beamer (South Carolina)

Total Salary: $8,150,000

National Rank: 20th

Overall Record: 32-24

10. Brent Venables (Oklahoma)

Total Salary: $7,552,750

National Rank: 23rd

Overall Record: 27-17

11. Billy Napier (Florida)

Billy Napier
Oct 4, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier gestures before a game against the Texas Longhorns at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Total Salary: $7,470,000

National Rank: 24th

Overall Record: 21-22

12. Mike Elko (Texas A&M)

Total Salary: $7,000,000

National Rank: 32nd

Overall Record: 13-25

13. Sam Pittman (Arkansas)

Total Salary: $6,814,600

National Rank: 35th

Overall Record: 32-34 (Fired after Week 5)

14. Hugh Freeze (Auburn)

Hugh Freeze
Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze walks off the field after the game as Auburn Tigers take on Ball State Cardinals at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. Auburn Tigers defeated Ball State Cardinals 42-3. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Total Salary: $6,734,500

National Rank: 36th

Overall Record: 14-16

15. Jeff Lebby (Mississippi State)

Total Salary: $4,350,000

National Rank: 55th

Overall Record: 6-12

16. Clark Lea (Vanderbilt)

Total Salary: $3,711,137

National Rank: 57th

Overall Record: 21-34

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