Breaking down head coaching salaries in the SEC

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position

COACHING SALARIES: Which programs are getting the most bang for their buck?

USA Today released its annual college football head coach salary database last week and, unsurprisingly, Alabama’s Nick Saban was at the top of the list with an annual compensation of $8.3 million per season. While there’s no doubt Saban is worth every penny, what about the rest of the list?

Today we break down the coaching salaries in the SEC and take a look back at the coaches' average finish in the AP Top 25 over the last five years as well as their average finish in the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings to see which coaches are earning their keep, or in some cases, outperforming their current contract.

Note: Average numbers include the current AP Top 25 rankings and all salary figures are according to USA Today.

Average AP Ranking: 1

Average Rivals.com Recruiting Rankings Finish: 2

Current Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking: 1

Saban will go down as one of the best college football coaches of all-time, so it’s not a surprise to see him at the top of this list once again, both in the conference and in the nation. The only knock on him since this list was published last year was his average recruiting class slipped from No. 1 overall to No. 2, largely in part to a No. 7 finish in the class of 2018.

But the Tide are back on top, both in the polls and the Rivals.com team rankings and this year’s team looks like it could be one of the best he’s ever had. Saban’s level of sustained success is one of the most impressive runs by a head coach in college football history and with the way Alabama is playing this season it’s unlikely to end anytime soon.

Average AP Ranking (At Florida State 2014-17): 18

Average Rivals.com Recruiting Rankings Finish (at Florida State 2014-17, Texas A&M 2018): 6

Current Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking: 2

Much was made about just how much Fisher was paid to leave Florida State and most Aggies fans would say it is money well spent so far. The Aggies 4-2 on the season, but the two loses came to two of the top three teams in the nation in Clemson and Alabama and Texas A&M is coming off an impressive win over Kentucky.

After a strong close to the 2018 recruiting class, Fisher and his staff are off to a blazing start in the 2019 class and look like they will easily finish in the top five. If the team remains competitive in the tough SEC West while loading up on elite talent, Fisher’s contract should be worth the money.

Average AP Ranking: 20

Average Rivals.com Recruiting Rankings Finish: 10

Current Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking: 15

Despite the occasional frustration among Auburn fans, Malzahn has been consistent during his time with the Tigers, both on the field and on the recruiting trail. After some thought he was on the hot seat last season, Malzahn beat both Georgia and Alabama and ended the year by signing an extension, which moved him inside the top 10 nationally, even though he ranks third in the SEC.

The 2019 class has a chance to be a special one for the Tigers, with three five-star prospects currently committed and at least two more seriously considering the school. If the Tigers can finish inside the top 10 both on the field and in the recruiting rankings, the Malzahn extension will only look smarter.

Average AP Ranking: 15

Average Rivals.com Recruiting Rankings Finish: 4

Current Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking: 9

After leading Georgia to within one play of winning the national championship and then finishing up with the highest-ranked recruiting class in the school’s history, it could be argued that Smart is too low on this list. Nevertheless, he is in the top 10 nationally, even if he’s only No. 4 in the SEC. Smart once again has Georgia inside the top five in the on-field rankings and the Dawgs are likely to finish inside the top 10 in recruiting as well. There were some questions when Smart returned to his alma mater, but so far it’s looking like the right move for Georgia.

Average AP Ranking: 24

Average Rivals.com Recruiting Rankings Finish (at Mississippi State 2014-17, Florida 2018): 26

Current Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking: 24

Mullen was hired away from Mississippi State this past offseason and earned a nice raise in the process. Mentioned as a candidate for jobs seemingly every year, he’s now settled in and has the Gators back in the top 15 six weeks into the season.

It’s going to be a process to get Florida back where the fans and administration expects, but the Mullen era is off to a nice start. So far, Mullen is sticking to his average when it comes to the Gators' recruiting class, but as one of the country’s highest-paid coaches, he will need to turn it up a notch down the stretch and finish in the top 15 to maintain the school’s level of talent.

Average AP Ranking: Unranked

Average Rivals.com Recruiting Rankings Finish (at Florida 2014, 2016-18 at South Carolina): 17

Current Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking: 17

Muschamp has done a nice job of righting the ship since taking over in Columbia, proving that he learned plenty of lessons from his first stint as an SEC coach at Florida. The Gamecocks have been in and out of the AP Top 25 this year and despite a 2-2 start in conference play, appear to be headed back to a bowl game for the third consecutive year. Last year’s nine-win season was proof of the potential South Carolina has under Muschamp and if he can continue to routinely recruit top 20 classes, the program should be stable for years to come.

Average AP Ranking: Unranked

Average Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking Finish: 27

Current Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking: 34

Stoops is in the midst of his best season in Lexington and he has the ‘Cats ranked in the AP Top 25 with a chance to compete for a spot in the SEC Championship Game, even after its overtime loss to Texas A&M on Saturday. Stoops started his time at Kentucky by putting recruiting first, and those efforts have helped lead the team to back-to-back bowl games. Considering he turned the once-lowly Wildcats into a ranked team and continues to recruit and develop talent, Stoops has proven to be a good hire at a good price.

Average AP Ranking: Unranked

Average Rivals.com Recruiting Rankings Finish: 20

Current Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking: 10

This year is Pruitt’s first as a head coach at any level, so it’s tough to take a look back it his past performance, even though he was praised as a recruiter during his time at Alabama. As expected, the Vols are going through first-year pains under Pruitt and are currently 2-3 heading into this weekend’s game against Auburn.

Despite a short window to close on the 2018, Pruitt showed his acumen as a recruiter, finishing with the nation’s No. 20 overall class. This year, Pruitt has the Vols in the top 10 nationally, also an impressive feat. Time will tell if Pruitt is the man to bring Tennessee back to glory, but that task starts in recruiting and he’s off to a good start.

Average AP Ranking (at SMU 2015-17, Arkansas 2018): Unranked

Average Rivals.com Recruiting Rankings Finish (at SMU 2015-17, Arkansas 2018): 79

Current Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking: 13

The Razorbacks took a little bit of a gamble when they hired Morris, the one-time Clemson offensive coordinator who spent three years as the head coach at SMU. During his time with the Mustangs, Morris showed the ability to turn a program around while also developing talent.

Through his first season at Arkansas, things are going slow on the field, but the team did show signs of improvement in its loss to Alabama on Saturday. The most promising sign for Arkansas is the fact that Morris is already recruiting very well, and currently has the nation’s No. 13 overall class. If Morris can bring the talent to run his offense to Fayetteville, Arkansas will be getting its money’s worth for sure.

Average AP Ranking: 15

Average Rivals.com Recruiting Rankings Finish: 9

Current Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking: 6

The Louisiana native is now working his dream job, earning the head coaching position after taking over for Les Miles in the middle of the 2016 season. Since taking the job he’s kept the team inside the top 20 nationally, and prior to this week’s loss to Florida, the Tigers were in the conversation for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Miles set the national championship standard in Baton Rouge and Orgeron is being paid to reach it again, but the jury is still out in terms of his ceiling as a coach. After a minor step back in the recruiting rankings last year, LSU is once again inside the top 10 nationally and look to have a chance to remain there through Signing Day.

Average AP Ranking: Unranked

Average Rivals.com Recruiting Rankings Finish: 33

Current Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking: 14

The Ole Miss alum took over the program after the sudden departure of Hugh Freeze prior to last season and did enough to earn the job full-time, and the raise that came with it. So far, he’s done a good job leading the team, especially considering the NCAA cloud hanging over the program when he took it over and now the sanctions that came from investigation.

Despite all the factors, Luke has still out-recruited some other higher-paid coaches in the conference and is likely to finish with a top-25 class this year, which would be the highest of his brief tenure at the school. Ole Miss fans are surely ready to see how Luke does both on the field and on the trail once the NCAA issues are a thing of the past.

Average AP Ranking: Unranked

Average Rivals.com Recruiting Rankings Finish: 51

Current Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking: 51

Mason hasn’t matched the accomplishments of his predecessor, James Franklin, but he did get the Commodores to a bowl game in 2016 and the team has been competitive in the SEC during Mason’s tenure.

He’s been consistent on the recruiting trail as well, although the Commodores generally rank toward the back end of the conference in terms of rankings. This year, Vanderbilt is out to a 3-2 start and will have a chance to get back to a bowl game, which would surely help in recruiting and with the morale of the fan base.

Average AP Ranking: 24

Average Rivals.com Recruiting Rankings Finish: 25

Current Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking: 25

Moorhead took over a talented team with a veteran quarterback, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he has the Bulldogs in the AP Top 25. What’s more impressive is his work on the recruiting trail over the past year. After closing with the No. 25 class in 2018, he has Mississippi State back in the top 25 in the team rankings again this year. Moorhead is in his first head coaching job at the FBS level, so being at the bottom of the conference in pay isn’t that much of a surprise, but so far he’s definitely earning his keep.

Average AP Ranking: Unranked

Average Rivals.com Recruiting Rankings Finish: 45

Current Rivals.com Recruiting Ranking: 56

Odom took over for longtime Missouri coach Gary Pinkel and in his fourth year on the job is still trying to find the same level of success that Pinkel had leading the program. Last season, the Tigers closed the regular season as one of the hottest teams in the country, riding the arm of quarterback Drew Lock. This year started out similarly, but after losing a heart-breaker on Saturday, the Tigers are just 3-2 on the year and 0-2 in the SEC. The Tigers have several winnable games on the schedule and fans will expect that he at least match last year’s win total of seven.

After recruiting the nation’s No. 39 overall class in 2018, Odom is currently on pace to have his worst class since taking over the job. An uptick on the field and on the trail is needed to close 2018.