Nick Saban Leads List of Highest-Paid Public School College Football Coaches

For the fourth consecutive year, Alabama's Nick Saban is the highest paid public school college football coach in America.

Saban, 71, makes just over $11.4 million annually, which puts him just under $600,000 ahead of Clemson's Dabo Swinney, according to data released by USA Today Sports.

The two coaches faced off in the College Football Playoff every season from 2015-18.

Georgia's Kirby Smart ($10.8 million), the only other active coach, besides Saban and Swinney, with multiple national titles, is third, while Ohio State's Ryan Day ($10.3 million) and former Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker ($10 million) round out the top five.

Last week, Michigan State fired Tucker for cause, less than three weeks after USA Today reported that anti-rape activist Brenda Tracy had accused the 51-year-old of sexually harassing her during an April phone call.

The rest of the top 10 features five SEC coaches -- LSU's Brian Kelly, Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher, Kentucky's Mark Stoops, Tennessee's Josh Heupel and Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin. In all, the conference boasts 12 coaches in the top 25, with Vanderbilt's Clark Lea and Mississippi State's Zach Arnett the only two outside that range.

Also outside the top 25 is No. 5 Texas' Steve Sarkisian, who has overseen the program's first 5-0 start since 2009, as well as No. 7 Washington's Kalen DeBoer, who sports a 16-2 record in under two seasons in Seattle.

The rest of the AP Top 10, with the exception of USC's Lincoln Riley and Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman -- who are employed by private universities -- are represented on the list. Riley, however, reportedly receives an estimated annual salary of $10 million, while Freeman's annual salary is unknown.