Florida’s Billy Napier and Auburn’s Hugh Freeze are facing pressure after multiple disappointing seasons.
Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell has not met expectations, with the team in danger of a second straight losing record.
USC’s Lincoln Riley and UNC’s Bill Belichick are also listed among the most overpaid coaches.
The clock is ticking for some of college football’s highest-paid coaches.
That includes Florida’s Billy Napier, who was on the verge of being fired last season before earning a reprieve that hasn’t paid off for the Gators.
Another coach under fire is Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell, who arrived with massive expectations after a historic run at Cincinnati but is in danger of posting back-to-back losing records. That hasn’t happened in Madison since 1991-92.
And a third is Auburn’s Hugh Freeze. Despite a long track record of success, including during his previous stint at Mississippi, Freeze has been unable to transform the Tigers into anything resembling an SEC contender.
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This group leads USA TODAY Sports’ list of the most overpaid head coaches in the country:
Lincoln Riley, Southern California
Riley earned $11.5 million during the 2023 calendar year, including bonuses and the value of various benefits, according to the private school’s most recently available federal tax records. That ranks him third among coaches is our survey behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart ($13.3 million) and Ohio State’s Ryan Day ($12.6 million). While Smart and Day have won three of the past four national championships, Riley has gone just 11-7 since USC joined the Big Ten last season. The results over his four seasons since moving from Oklahoma have simply not been there despite Riley’s massive salary.
Bill Belichick, North Carolina
Belichick is one of nine coaches in our survey making at least $10 million in total compensation. While UNC might’ve felt the need to break the bank to hire a six-time Super Bowl champion, the 73-year-old Belichick’s decades of success had not translated to the college game. The 2-3 Tar Heels have looked like one of the weakest teams in the Power Four in games against TCU, Central Florida and Clemson.
Luke Fickell, Wisconsin
This seemed like the perfect marriage: Fickell’s program at Cincinnati embraced the same physical style that helped turn Wisconsin into one of the most consistently successful programs in the Power Four. The results have been shockingly poor. The Badgers went 7-6 in 2023, dropped to 5-7 last season and are 2-3 so far in 2025. While the roster is young, the lack of on-field success could make this a three-and-out coaching tenure. Fickell is making $7.8 million in total compensation as part of a deal that runs through the 2031 season, with a current buyout of $27.5 million.
Billy Napier, Florida
At 21-22 overall, Napier could become the first non-interim Florida coach to post a losing record since Raymond Wolf from 1946-49. While last November’s decision to bring Napier back for another year sparked a strong close to last season, the Gators have continued to be one of the most frustrating teams in the SEC and one of the biggest disappointments in the Power Four despite his $7.5 million in total compensation. Napier’s current buyout is $20.4 million.
Hugh Freeze, Auburn
Unless his team’s underperforming offense gets in gear, Freeze could become the first Auburn coach with three losing seasons in a row since Earl Brown from 1948-50. Before being hired by the Tigers, Freeze had just one losing season in 10 years as a Bowl Subdivision head coach. Barring a strong second half, Auburn will be conducting its third coaching search since the end of the 2020 season. Freeze is earning $6.7 million in total compensation this season with a school buyout of $15.4 million.
