Alabama HC Kalen DeBoer’s Contract Includes $10.9M Annual Salary, 4th-Highest in CFB

Erin WalshMarch 19, 2024

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Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is officially one of the highest-paid head coaches in all of college football.

The former Washington Huskies head coach received an eight-year, $87 million contract ($10.9 million per year) to take over as head coach of the Crimson Tide following Nick Saban’s retirement, according to John Zenor of the Associated Press.

DeBoer will earn $10 million in his first year of the deal, which runs through Dec. 31, 2033. The contract increases by $250,000 each year and will grow to $11.75 million by the final year of the deal.

The 49-year-old’s contract also includes a $600,000 bonus for playing in a College Football national championship game and $875,000 for winning a title.

According to ESPN’s Chris Low, DeBoer’s contract “is 90 percent guaranteed if he were to be fired without cause, and there is no mitigation.”

“High-level investment from high-level coaches is an important part of the success that we’ve had in our department,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne told trustees, per Zenor. “I feel strongly that we continue to show that with the additional steps we’re taking today.”

DeBoer’s yearly salary of $10.9 million ranks fourth among all CFB head coaches, according to Low. Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, USC’s Lincoln Riley and Texas’ Steve Sarkisian are also among the top-five.

DeBoer made $4.2 million as head coach of Washington last season. He led the Huskies to the national championship game, where they fell to the Michigan Wolverines.

Alabama hired DeBoer in January, though terms of his deal were not reported at the time. The Crimson Tide paid Washington approximately $12 million to buy out DeBoer’s contract with the school, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.

Saban retired as head coach of the Crimson Tide on Jan. 10 after winning six national titles in 17 seasons with the program.