With his team having set a program record for wins in a season with 10, Iowa State football Matt Campbell will head to this week’s Big 12 Conference championship game with $1.3 million in bonuses already headed his way.
That’s the greatest total so far among Bowl Subdivision public school head coaches, who have combined to claim nearly $10.2 million in bonuses, according to tracking by USA TODAY Sports based on contracts acquired through open-records requests.
But Campbell’s counterpart in Saturday afternoon’s conference title game, Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham, not only has $945,000 in bonuses so far, he also would more than double that amount with a victory.
The combined figure for FBS head coaches does not include amounts that are all but assured for those whose teams seem certain to appear in the 12-team College Football Playoff, including No. 1-ranked and undefeated Oregon.
Campbell’s total so far is greater than the basic annual pay that at least 47 FBS coaches had been scheduled to receive from their respective schools this season.
However, if Arizona State defeats the Cyclones this week, Dillingham will get $395,000 for winning the Big 12 title (10% of his $3.95 million annual pay this season) and another $1.135 million for the CFP appearance that will accompany it (30% of his annual pay, minus the $50,000 bonus he already had secured for a non-CFP bowl appearance).
The combined amount Dillingham could get is greater than the $1.5 million that former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh had gotten when the Wolverines won the Big Ten championship and secured a CFP bid.
Dillingham and Campbell both have run up big numbers from contract provisions that provide them with huge amounts for individual regular-season victories. Campbell got $250,000 for each win, beginning with Iowa State’s seventh. Dillingham got $200,000 for Arizona State’s ninth win and $300,000 for its 10th.
A full, school-by-school list follows. It is alphabetical, by school and shows amounts coaches achieved prior to being fired. In that the amounts still may be owed to the coach. Bonuses for coaches at private schools are not available because those schools are not subject to open-records laws.
This does not include bonuses and/or pay increases for assistant coaches, staff and athletics directors that also may be resulting from these achievements. And those totals could be significant.
Appalachian State: Shawn Clark
►$20,000: Competitive scheduling – play guarantee game at home stadium of Power Five opponent (Clemson)
Arizona State: Kenny Dillingham
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-College Football Playoff bowl game
►$200,000: Ninth regular season win
►$300,000: 10th regular season win
►$395,000: Play in Big 12 Conference title game
Arkansas: Sam Pittman
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Arkansas State: Butch Jones
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Army: Jeff Monken
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$25,000: Seventh regular season win
►$75,000: Win over Air Force
►$25,000: Eighth regular season win
►$25,000: Ninth regular season win
►$50,000: 10th regular season win
Boise State: Spencer Danielson
►$11,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$11,000: Sixth Mountain West Conference win
►$22,000: American Football Coaches Association regional coach of the year
►$11,000: Seventh Mountain West win
►$44,000: Play in Mountain West title game
Bowling Green: Scot Loeffler
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$7,500: Fifth Mid-American Conference win
►$25,000: Sixth MAC win
Buffalo: Pete Lembo
►$35,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$15,000: Eighth regular season win
California: Justin Wilcox
►$25,000: Win over Stanford
►$25,000: Sixth regular season win
►$40,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Clemson: Dabo Swinney
►$75,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game with at least eight wins
►$50,000: Play in Atlantic Coast Conference title game
Coastal Carolina: Tim Beck
►$150,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Colorado: Deion Sanders
►$150,000: Sixth win
►$150,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$100,000: Seventh regular season win
►$100,000: Eighth regular season win
►$100,000: Ninth regular season win
Colorado State: Jay Norvell
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$25,000: Fourth Mountain West win
►$50,000: Seventh win
►$25,000: Fifth Mountain West win
►$50,000: Eighth win
►$50,000: Sixth Mountain West win
Connecticut: Jim Mora
►$25,000: Sixth regular season win
►$50,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$10,000: Seventh regular season win
►$10,000: Eighth regular season win
East Carolina: Blake Harrell
(Note: Harrell had been serving as interim head coach, and his bonus total is based on the terms of his interim head coaching agreement. East Carolina has since removed Harrell’s interim tag and named him head coach.)
►$45,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Florida: Billy Napier
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Fresno State interim: Tim Skipper
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Georgia: Kirby Smart
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$25,000: Eighth win, sets up team for Southeastern Conference Pool of Six bowl
►$100,000: Play in SEC title game
Georgia Southern: Clay Helton
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$30,000: Eighth regular win
Georgia State: Dell McGee
►$10,000: Win over Power Four team (Vanderbilt)
Georgia Tech: Brent Key
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Illinois: Bret Bielema
►One-year contract extension; $25,000 bonus this season: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game (Agreement set to run through Jan. 31, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $7.25 million, all guaranteed.)
►$150,000 increase in scheduled total and guaranteed pay for season added under automatic contract extension, making it worth $7.4 million: Seventh win
►$50,000: Eighth regular season win
►$50,000: Ninth regular season win
►$75,000: Ninth win, sets up team for what contract terms ‘Tier 1’ bowl, which includes ReliaQuest and Citrus
Indiana: Curt Cignetti
►One-year contract extension; $250,000 raise, beginning next season; $200,000 bonus this season: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game (Agreement set to run through Nov. 30, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season would be $5.1 million, with $3.3 million guaranteed.)
►$100,000: Fifth Big Ten Conference win
►$50,000: Sixth Big Ten win
►$500,000: Finish among top two in final Big Ten regular season standings
Iowa: Kirk Ferentz
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Iowa State: Matt Campbell
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$250,000: Seventh regular season win
►$250,000: Eighth regular season win
►$250,000: Ninth regular season win
►$250,000: 10th regular season win
►$250,000: Play in Big 12 Conference title game with team tied for first place in regular season conference standings
Jacksonville State: Rich Rodriguez
►$10,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$10,000: Sixth regular season win
►$10,000: Seventh regular season win
►$10,000: Eighth regular season win
James Madison: Bob Chesney
►$15,000: Win over Power Four team (North Carolina)
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$25,000: Seventh win over FBS opponents
Kansas State: Chris Klieman
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►One-year contract extension: Eighth regular seaon win (Contract now set to run through Dec. 31, 2032. Extension now scheduled to pay $6.5 million with at least $3.75 million guaranteed.)
Louisville: Jeff Brohm
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
LSU: Brian Kelly
►$500,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Louisiana-Lafayette: Michael Desormeaux
►$25,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game with at least seven wins
►One-year contract extension: 10th win (Contract now set to run through Dec. 31, 2027. Extension now scheduled to pay $772,800 with $443,680 million guaranteed.)
►$25,000: 10th regular season win
►$25,000: Win Sun Belt Conference division title
Marshall: Charles Huff
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$30,000: Seventh win
Memphis: Ryan Silverfield
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$75,000: Eighth regular season win
►One-year contract extension and $25,000 bonus: Ninth regular season win (Contract now set to run through Dec. 31, 2029. Extension now scheduled to pay $2.8 million with $1.68 million guaranteed.)
►$25,000: 10th regular season win
Miami (Ohio): Chuck Martin
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$25,000: Play in MAC title game
Minnesota: P.J. Fleck
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$50,000: Fifth Big Ten win
Mississippi: Lane Kiffin
►$100,000: Regular season win over non-conference Power Five team (Wake Forest)
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►One-year contract extension: Seventh win (Contract with Ole Miss Athletics Foundation now set to run through Dec. 31, 2030; contract with university through Dec. 31, 2028. Extension now scheduled to pay $9,000,000, with $7.2 million guaranteed.)
►$50,000: Eighth win, sets up team for SEC Pool of Six bowl
►$150,000: Fifth SEC win
Missouri: Eliah Drinkwitz
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Nebraska: Matt Rhule
►$150,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Nevada-Las Vegas: Barry Odom
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$25,000: Play in Mountain West title game
North Carolina: Mack Brown
►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
North Carolina State: Dave Doeren
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
North Texas: Eric Morris
►$35,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Northern Illinois: Thomas Hammock
►$15,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Ohio: Tim Albin
►$5,000: Eighth regular season win
►$5,000: Ninth regular season win
►$30,753: Play in MAC title game
Oregon: Dan Lanning
►One-year contract extension: 10th regular season win (Contract now set to run through Jan. 31, 2031. Extension now scheduled to pay $9,400,000, all guaranteed.)
►$200,000: 11th regular season win
►$100,000: Play in Big Ten championship game
►$200,000: 12th regular season win
Penn State: James Franklin
(Note: Penn State announced Friday that Franklin’s bonus package has been revised to address a 12-team CFP. The university made no details available. The bonuses listed here are from a term sheet the university previously had released rather than a full-form contract.)
►$200,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$200,000: Play in Big Ten title game
Rutgers: Greg Schiano
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Sam Houston State: K.C. Keeler
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
San Jose State: Ken Niumatalolo
►$30,000: Seventh regular season win
South Alabama: Major Applewhite
►$15,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
South Carolina: Shane Beamer
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
South Florida: Alex Golesh
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Tennessee: Josh Heupel
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Texas: Steve Sarkisian
►$100,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$150,000: Play in SEC title game
Texas-San Antonio: Jeff Traylor
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Texas State: G.J. Kinne
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Texas Tech: Joey McGuire
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$100,000: Eighth regular season win
Toledo: Jason Candle
►$75,000: Sixth regular season win
►$20,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
►$60,000: Seventh regular season win
Utah: Kyle Whittingham
►$15,000: Team ranked in top 25 at any time during season (AP preseason top 25, No. 12)
Virginia Tech: Brent Pry
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Washington: Jedd Fisch
►$75,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Washington State: Jake Dickert
►$25,000: Eligible for non-CFP bowl game with at least seven wins
West Virginia: Neal Brown
►$50,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
Western Kentucky: Tyson Helton
►$50,000: Play in Conference USA title game
►$50,000: 8th win assures team will finish with winning record
Western Michigan: Lance Taylor
►$25,000: Sixth win, eligible for non-CFP bowl game
