New deal for Coach Prime puts him right with highest paid college coaches

Coach Prime agreed to a massive contract extension with the University of Colorado on Friday.

And in doing so, Deion Sanders is now among the highest paid coaches in all of college football.

The CU Buffs’ leader put pen to paper on a lucrative deal worth $54 million over the next five seasons, the details of which are fairly interesting.

Despite a career 13-12 record in Boulder, Coach Prime is joining the likes of Kirby Smart (Georgia), Ryan Day (Ohio State) and Dabo Swinney (Clemson) as the most expensive coaches at the collegiate level. Here’s a look at how the top-5 now stack up across the country.

Deion Sanders' new 5 year, $54M contract with Colorado makes him the 4th highest average paid NCAAF coach.

1. Kirby Smart, $13.2M
2. Ryan Day, $12.5M
3. Dabo Swinney, $11.1M
4. Deion Sanders, $10.8M
5. Steve Sarkisian, $10.6M

— Spotrac (@spotrac) March 28, 2025

Smart, Day and Swinney all have national titles to their names, so it’s elite company to be in. The Buffs definitely improved in 2024, going 9-4 in Coach Prime’s second year leading the program, but missed out on a potential Big 12 Championship berth with a loss to Kansas late in the season.

Plus, Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and QB Shedeur Sanders are gone. The dynamic duo are both expected to be top-5 picks in next month’s NFL Draft.

There’s no doubt Coach Prime can recruit, landing five-star QB Julian Lewis and other highly touted prospects, but with this kind of coin coming his way, there will be pressure on Sanders to perform.

By handing out a contract extension this rich, it’s clear that AD Rick George and the leadership at the University of Colorado believe Coach Prime can win Big 12 titles and perhaps even a national championship one day.

A whole lot of victories is going to be the expectation in Boulder as long as Deion Sanders roams the sideline as head coach.

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