College sports, their coaches, and the big money in between : The Indicator from Planet Money If you had to guess, would you say the president of a university usually makes more money than the football coach? Well, you may be wrong. A college's football coach is often their highest paid employee. The University of Alabama pays its football coach on average close to $11 million. Today on the show, why are college football coaches paid so much? Do their salaries really make economic sense? Related episodes:Why the Olympics cost so much (Apple / Spotify)Want to get ahead in youth sports? Try staying back a year (Apple / Spotify)For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter. The Indicator from Planet Money The Indicator from Planet Money Apple Podcasts Amazon Music iHeart Radio YouTube Music Amazon Alexa Why are college coaches paid so much? May 28, 20253:00 AM ET Darian Woods Cooper Katz McKim Kate Concannon Why are college coaches paid so much? Enlarge this image Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer makes nearly 11 million dollars per year over an eight year contract. Vasha Hunt/AP Newsroom hide caption toggle caption Vasha Hunt/AP Newsroom Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer makes nearly 11 million dollars per year over an eight year contract. Vasha Hunt/AP Newsroom If you had to guess, would you say the president of a university usually makes more money than the football coach? Well, you may be wrong. A college's football coach is often their highest paid employee. The University of Alabama pays its football coach on average close to $11 million. Today on the show, why are college football coaches paid so much? Do their salaries really make economic sense? Related episodes:Why the Olympics cost so much (Apple / Spotify)Want to get ahead in youth sports? Try staying back a year (Apple / Spotify) For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter. University of Alabama American Football