Top 10 highest paid defensive coordinators in College football ft. LSU’s Blake Baker

Last season's Michigan Wolverines were proof that defense is key to a national title run. A top defense in college football needs a top defensive coordinator to lead them into battle every Saturday.

As the 2024 college football season approaches, programs are going all in on finding a leader for their defensive units. Here is a look at ten of the highest-paid defensive coordinators in college football ahead of the 2024 season.

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Top 10 highest-paid defensive coordinators in college football

#10. Pete Kwiatkowski, Texas ($1.8M)

NCAA Football: Texas-Practice

Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski has been with the team since 2021 and has steadily improved the Longhorns defense each season. Kwiatkowski has been a DL coach and defensive coordinator since he began coaching at Boise State in 1988.

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#9. Jim Knowles, Ohio State ($1.9M)

NCAA Football: Minnesota at Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes ranked second in college football in opponent points per game last season, led by their defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Knowles has been the DC at Ohio State since coming over from Oklahoma State in 2022. Knowles also had experience as a head coach when he was with Cornell from 2004–2009, going 26–34 during those six seasons.

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#8. Phil Parker, Iowa ($1.9M)

Iowa DC Phil Parker

Phil Parker's fourth-ranked Iowa Hawkeye defense featured two 2024 NFL Draft picks in Cooper DeJean and Logan Lee. Parker also took home the Broyles Award in 2023 as the best assistant coach in college football. He has turned Iowa into one of the most intimidating defensive teams since moving from DB coach to defensive coordinator in 2013.

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#7. D'Anton Lynn, USC ($2.0M)

D'Anton Lynn will become the defense leader at USC in 2024 after one season at UCLA. Lynn has experience as an assistant coach and was signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets in 2012. He didn't see the field during his career as a player but had a successful career as an assistant coach for the Jets, Bills, Chargers, Texans, and Ravens.

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#6. Al Golden, Notre Dame ($2.0M)

NCAA Football: Southern California at Notre Dame

Al Golden began his tenure with Notre Dame as a DC and LB coach in 2022 before transitioning solely to DC in 2024. Notre Dame's defense made a huge leap last season and ranked seventh in opponent points per game. Golden's spent time in the NFL as an LB coach with the Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals and was a former head coach at Temple and Miami (FL).

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#5. Glenn Schumann, Georgia ($2.0M)

NCAA Football: CFP National Championship-Texas Christian at Georgia

Glenn Schumann has been an ILB coach and a defensive coordinator at Georgia since the 2016 season, after spending seven seasons as an assistant coach at Alabama. Schumann has claimed six national championships as an assistant coach and had the Bulldogs as the fifth-ranked defense in 2023.

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#4. Adam Fuller, Florida State ($2.0M)

NCAA Football: Florida State at Wake Forest

Florida State ranked as the 18th-best defense in college football last season and was led for the third straight season by Adam Fuller. Fuller has years of experience as an LB and DB coach and as a defensive coordinator. He spent one season as the head coach at Assumption University, a private school in Massachusetts, finishing with a record of 1-9.

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#3. Pete Golding, Ole Miss (2.1M)

NCAA Football: Vanderbilt at Mississippi

Ole Miss paid a large price to bring defensive coordinator Pete Golding over from Alabama in 2023. Golding began his coaching career in 2006 as a graduate assistant at Delta State, where he played safety. He would then take on DC roles at schools including Tusculum, Southeastern Louisiana, UTSA, and Alabama before becoming the ILB coach and DC for the Rebels.

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#2. Wink Martindale, Michigan ($2.3M)

Former NY Giants DC Wink Martindale

The Michigan Wolverine's top-ranked defense from a season ago will receive a suitable replacement in Wink Martindale after losing Jesse Minter to the NFL. Martindale has an extremely impressive resume and has been an assistant coach in the NFL dating back to 2004, including in 2013, when he won a Super Bowl as the LB coach with the Baltimore Ravens.

Martindale joins the Wolverines from the New York Giants, where he has spent the last two seasons as their DC.

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#1. Blake Baker, LSU ($2.5M)

LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker

The LSU Tigers are bringing back their former LB coach and co-DC Blake Baker to take over their defensive unit in 2024. Baker was an assistant coach at LSU during the 2021 season before spending the last two seasons as the DC at Missouri.

Baker earned him the biggest paycheck amongst college football defensive coordinators after leading the Missouri Tigers defense to a massive improvement last season.

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Do you think any of these coordinators will lead the top-ranked defense during the 2024 college football season? Let us know your predictions in the comments section.