First-year Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer will make an average of $10.875 million per year, ranking him in the top five nationally among the highest-paid coaches in college football.
His eight-year contract was approved Monday by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees, and DeBoer will make $10 million in the first year of his deal that will run through Dec. 31, 2031. His compensation will increase $250,000 per year and grow to $11.75 million in the final year of the deal.
DeBoer’s contract is 90 percent guaranteed if he were to be fired without cause, and there is no mitigation. His buyout if he were to leave Alabama before his contract is up is $5 million in 2024, $4 million in 2025, $3 million in 2026 and nothing from 2027-31.
DeBoer’s average salary ranks fourth among all college football head coaches, industry sources told ESPN. Clemson‘s Dabo Swinney is at the top with an average annual salary of $11.5 million. Georgia‘s Kirby Smart and USC‘s Lincoln Riley are also over the $11 million figure annually. DeBoer is fourth ($10.875 million) followed by Texas‘ Steve Sarkisian ($10.64 million) and Florida State‘s Mike Norvell ($10.52 million).