What Is The Highest-Paid College Football Coach Nick Saban's Net Worth?

In 2022, Nick Sabban signed extension with the Crismson Tide worth $93.6 million.

UPDATED JAN 2, 2024

Nick Saban looks on before the SEC Championship game | Getty Images | Photo by Kevin C. Cox

Name	Nick Saban
Net worth	$70 million
Salary	$11.7 million
Annual income	N/A
Sources of income	Football coaching
DOB	31 October 1951
Age	72 years
Gender	Male
Nationality	United States of America
Profession	Football coach

What is Nick Saban's Net Worth and Salary?

Legendary college football head coach Nick Saban has an estimated net worth of $70 million, per Celebrity Net Worth. Saban is the highest-paid college football coach in the world, which matches his reputation and legacy. Saban has won seven national championships with two different schools, one of only two coaches to do so in their coaching career. He won one with LSU and the other six with Alabama.

Nick Saban celebrates with the BCS National Championship trophy | Getty Images | Photo by Streeter Lecka

Sources of income

Career in Coaching

Nick Saban began as an assistant coach for several universities, including Syracuse University, West Virginia University, Ohio State University, the Naval Academy, and Michigan State University from 1977 to 1987. He gained valuable experience during this time and his long term goal was to return to Kent State as their new head coach. However, he lost out when Dick Crum was hired instead.

He then became the head coach for University of Toledo in 1989, and the team lost only two games in the 1990 season. In 1995, he became the new head coach for Michigan State University, and then moved to LSU. During his five years coaching the team, he led them to a BCS National Championship.

Nick Saban of the Michigan State Spartans during a game | Getty Images | Photo by Tom Pidgeon

In 2004, Saban became the head coach for the Miami Dolphins NFL team. However, it was shortlived after a poor performance of the team in two seasons. He was then considered for Alabama State University's head coach position, and he soon returned to college football.

The Alabama Crimson Tide Era

Saban began his tenure as head coach of the Crimson Tide in 2007 and led the team to a perfect second season with a 12-0 win record. They made it to the SEC Championship game, and Nick won a number of Coach of the Year awards.

The team finished the season undefeated in 2010, and won the national championship as well. They followed it up in 2012 and 2013, winning back-to-back national championships. Over the next couple years, they won several additional championship titles and in 2017, Saban won his first Sugar Bowl title.

Nick Saban celebrates after defeating the Spartans 38 to 0 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl | Getty Images | Photo by Tom Pennington

After the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in 2019, they made a comeback in 2020 and won 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship for the University's 18th National Championship. With this Saban won his seventh overall National Title and sixth with Alabama, surpassing Paul Bryant for most titles in history as a coach.

Nick Saban celebrates with the Allstate BCS National Championship trophy | Getty Images | Photo by Ronald Martinez

Earnings with Alabama Crimson Tide

In June 2014, Saban signed a historic contract extension with Alabama to stay with them through 2022. The deal was worth $55.2 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth. The contract also had a clause that allowed him to stay on the hook for $23 million even if he gets fired at some point. With this, his base salary over the eight seasons averaged $6.9 million.

In 2017, Saban earned a salary of $11.5 million, combined with bonuses, which made him the highest paid coach in college football. In 2021 he signed a new 8-year contract with Alabama worth $70.6 million, which got his base salary up to $8.8 million.

Later in 2022, he signed another extension in top of the 2021 contract. The new extension increased the value of his contract to a whopping $93.6 million. This made his average annual salary about $11.7 million, according to Bleacher Report.

Endorsements

Nick Saban has been a college football celebrity and he has worked with several big brands. As per reports, Saban earns about $5 million per year from endorsements alone.

One of his most popular collaborations was with Mercedes Benz in 2015. f

In 2015, before the college football season began, Saban and Mercedes Benz released a limited edition Nick Saban Signature Series Mercedes Benz Sprinter. Saban contributed to the design of the van which had a line of luxurious amenities.

A look inside the Nick Saban Signature Series Mercedes Benz Van. It retails for $200k or around 1 Cam Newton in Auburn dollars. pic.twitter.com/d3bT1DgvQG
— BamaHammer (@Bama_Hammer) March 7, 2017

Other Ventures

Apart from football, Nick Saban also owns several car dealerships and is the part owner of Dream Motor Group along with former Mercedes-Benz CEO Steve Cannon and CEO Joe Agresti. He also a part owner of a Mercedes Benz dealership in Birmingham, Music City and Nashville.

Nick Saban's Mercedes dealership opened in Nashville yesterday. Its address is 734 Envious Lane. pic.twitter.com/4EtQqL0u7r
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 30, 2017

Real Estate Assets

Saban bought a $2.9 million home in Tuscaloosa in 2007, along with his wife Terry. He sold the 8,700-square-foot property to the Crimson Tide Foundation for $3.1 million in 2013. This was a part of Saban's deal with the university, which paid the taxes and fees, as he continued to live in the property even after selling it, as per Celebrity Net Worth.

Saban also purchased a property on Lake Burton in the North Georgia Mountains. With 9,600-square-feet of living space and 1.7 acres of land, the property sits right on the water, with over 700 feet of lake frontage. Saban sold the home through an auction in 2013, for just under $11 million. In 2023, he further purchased a $17.5 million beachfront Mansion on Jupiter Island in Florida with 6,200-square-foot of living space.

Car Collection

Being a car enthusiast, Saban has an extensive car collection that includes some of the most luxurious cars in the world. According to CarHP Saban's collection includes a 2017 Mercedes-Benz S550, worth around $131,400, a 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG GTS, worth around $131,900, a 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, a limited series he launched with Mercedes, worth about $200,000 and a 2022 Ferrari Portofino M, worth about $230,000 .