How much does Charlie Strong make as a college football coach? A deep dive into his salary and contract history
College football is big business, with millionaire coaches at the helm of prestigious programs. So how well does University of South Florida‘s Charlie Strong fare in this high stakes landscape? As a college football insider, I have a keen interest in coaches‘ salaries and what they indicate about the state of the game. Let‘s take a deep dive into Strong‘s pay and see how it stacks up.
To start, Strong earns a base salary of $2 million coaching USF – the highest in the American Athletic Conference. But that‘s just the beginning. His 2017 contract also provides up to $3 million more per year in potential bonuses. As one example, Strong earned a $300,000 bonus for USF‘s Birmingham Bowl win last season.
In total, his USF pay can exceed $5 million annually when combining all compensation. According to USA Today‘s college football salary database, that places Strong securely among the top 30 highest paid coaches. But it pales in comparison to huge SEC salaries like Alabama‘s Nick Saban at over $9 million.
Context around conference and program size is essential when evaluating these salaries. As American Athletic Conference champ, Strong earns more than double the average of $750,000 to $1 million that other AAC coaches make. Yet he still trails the salaries seen in power conferences like the SEC, where the average pay is around $4.5 million.
Strong‘s current pay is certainly a step up from his time at the University of Louisville. As coach of the Cardinals from 2010-2013, Strong‘s salary peaked at around $3.7 million. But a stint at the University of Texas afforded him over $5 million annually, demonstrating the salary gap between larger and smaller programs.
According to USA Today, the average yearly salary for coaches in the Big 12 conference is $4.6 million. Strong‘s Texas salary exceeded that conference average, though he has taken a cut coming to USF. Ultimately, larger athletic department budgets and revenues translate into an ability to pay top-tier head coach salaries.
Strong‘s contract and tenure provide more context around his earning potential. His initial 6-year USF contract was valued around $16.5 million total, averaging $2.75 million annually through 2023. A $3 million buyout provides USF financial protection if Strong leaves early. He also earned a 2020 retention bonus of $1 million for staying through that season.
Digging deeper into bonuses and incentives, Strong can capitalize in a variety of ways. The bonus structure includes:
- $100,000 for a top 25 ranking
- $200,000 for conference championship
- $300,000 for major bowl appearance
- $400,000 for College Football Playoff spot
Bowl bonuses start at $100,000 for making any bowl, then escalate based on prestige. Strong also gets incentives for coach of the year honors and player achievements like all-conference selections. Ultimately, he has many avenues to expand beyond his base salary.
Looking across today‘s college football landscape, coaching salaries continue to rise exponentially. Much of this ties to the massive TV contracts major conferences command. As networks have paid more, schools have invested more in coaching staffs in hopes of winning and ratings. This cycle has led many programs to regularly budget multimillion salaries for head coaches.
While Charlie Strong‘s $5 million potential annual earnings are substantial, they don‘t reach the heights of college football‘s elite earners. But within his conference and at a growing program like USF, Strong remains well compensated. His salary reflects years of experience as well as USF‘s commitment to competing long-term. Love or hate millionaire coaches, they remain a fixture in today‘s world of college football. Strong‘s salary provides one window into this high-priced landscape.