These are college football's 10 highest-paid head coaches heading into the 2025 season after Colorado gave Deion Sanders an extension.

The highest-paid college football coach is Georgia's Kirby Smart, who makes an average of $13.2 million, per Spotrac. Smart signed a reported 10-year, $130 million deal with the Bulldogs in May 2024. With Smart leading the way, here's a look at the top five highest-paid college football coaches based on average annual salary, via Spotrac:

Sanders enters his third year at Colorado after spending the first three seasons of his collegiate coaching career at Jackson State. The Buffaloes improved to 9-4 in 2024 -- their first winning record in a full 12-game season since 2016 -- and pushed for an appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game with a 7-2 effort in conference play.

Colorado Buffaloes head football coach Deion Sanders has agreed to a massive five-year contract extension, the university announced on Friday.

Deion Sanders’ dream of Colorado and Syracuse playing each other in a spring game is dead. The NCAA’s FBS oversight committee announced that a waiver for the two teams to practice against each other was denied.

Head coach Deion Sanders has been a big part of that success, showing he can bring in elite talent, including a two-way star, Travis Hunter, along with his son and quarterback Shedeur, who are both expected to be first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Colorado announced a contract extension for Deion Sanders on Friday that will keep him in gold and black through the 2029 season. The deal will also pay him plenty of green as he'll be making $54 million over the course of the five-year agreement.