Connect with us

WVU Football

West Virginia Head Coach Neal Brown Makes Just Under $3 Million in 2021

Published

on

West Virginia head coach Neal Brown doesn’t make a whole lot of money — at least when compared to some of his Division I colleagues.

With USA TODAY releasing its list of 2021 head coaching salaries, 123 of the 130 college football coaches in Division I had their salaries released. Brown is toward the upper edge of the middle of the pack earners for 2021. His total pay is the 52nd-highest among Division I coaches.

Brown is slated to earn $2,997,500 total pay in 2021, a $157,500 contract year pandemic reduction bumping his salary down from $3,155,000. Brown’s total pandemic reduction is $312,500 over the last two seasons.

If WVU were to want to buy out Brown, it would cost a pretty penny at just under $20.5 million starting on Dec. 1, 2021.

However, Brown recently signed a two-year extension on his current contract, extending his stay in Morgantown until the 2026 season. His total pay will continue to rise each year, eventually capping out around $4.5 million at the end of his contract as various incentives could kick in.

By the time Brown reaches the end of his contract, or, with the uncertainty in 2021, if he reaches the end, his total pay could rank inside the top 30 coaches nationwide.

Alabama’s Nick Saban is the highest-paid coach in the nation, earning $9,753,221 in 2021, while LSU’s Ed Orgeron, Stanford’s David Shaw, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley round out the top five highest-paid coaches — all making above $7.5 million in 2021.

Riley is the highest-paid Big 12 coach, and TCU’s Gary Patterson is a somewhat surprising second-highest earner at just over $6 million. Texas’s new head coach Steve Sarkisian, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy and Iowa State’s Matt Campbell round out the top five — with all making over $4 million.

Brown is the seventh-highest paid coach in the Big 12, but Baylor’s Dave Aranda’s total pay was not released by USA TODAY.

For a full list of the highest-paid Division I football coaches, click here.

Get WVSN in your mailbox!

Enter your email address to subscribe to WVSN and receive notifications of new posts by email.

COMPLETE COVERAGE