Nick Saban career earnings: How much did former Alabama HC earn in his career?

Nick Saban has finally called time on his college football coaching career. Yesterday, Saban announced that he is retiring after spending 17 seasons with the Alabama Crimson Tide program, where he won six out of his seven national championship titles.

But now that Saban has retired and his tenure with Alabama is over, how much money did he walk away from?

Nick Saban's contract

Saban signed an eight-year contract with the Crimson Tide in 2022, which would have kept him in Tuscaloosa until 2030.

This contract was worth approximately $93.6 million, and in his first year, he was guaranteed $10.7 million. If Saban had remained head coach until the final year of his contract, he would have earned a guaranteed $12.7 million for the final season. On average, he would have earned $11.7 million per season, making him one of the highest-paid head coaches in college football.

This amount excludes bonuses for making bowl and championship games. It has been reported that Saban made $200,000 for making the 2022 national championship game before the new contract was signed.

The new contract would have given Saban $800,000 if the Crimson Tide won the national championship game this year. This amount is still less than the $1 million that Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh (who is considering a new contract offer from the Wolverines) got for winning the title on Monday.

How much did Nick Saban earn overall?

Saban has been coaching since 1990 when he first took charge of Toledo. He won his first national championship with LSU in 2003 before making the move to Alabama in 2007.

Saban has had a successful career. But how much did he earn?

Saban's total earnings at the time of retirement is $150 million, according to Forbes. Interestingly, if Saban was paid for every win he had in his 33-year career, each win would be worth $327,017.

As college football becomes more expensive, the head coaches’ wages will only increase. Nick Saban's $11.7 million a year contract may be expensive, but in five to 10 years, contracts like this may become the norm.