Comparing Deion Sanders' 2023 salary to other Pac-12 head coaches ft. Dan Lanning, Chip Kelly and more

Deion Sanders made shockwaves when he became the head coach for the Colorado Buffaloes in 2023.

He helped Colorado turn things around by bringing in several fresh talents through recruitment and the transfer portal. In Week 1, the Buffaloes who were 20+ point underdogs against TCU pulled off the upset.

After starting the season 3-0, Colorado has lost two straight games. However, it remains a topic of conversation thanks to Deion Sanders' help in bringing millions of dollars to the school.

Currently, Sanders' salary of $5,500,000 a year ranks fourth amongst that of Pac-12 coaches, according to USA Today. CU Athletic Director Rick George admitted this when asked about Sanders' contract:

“We don’t have the money yet, but I know we’ll have it. So, I’m not worried about that piece.”

Top 10 Pac-12 head coach salaries

Let's explore the list of top 10 Pac-12 head coach salaries to learn more about other coaches.

#10, Jake Dickert, Washington State

Jake Dickert, Washington State, $2.7 million

Jake Dickert is in his third season - second full - as the head coach of Washington State. He currently makes $2.7 million, which is the lowest-ranked salary in Pac-12 and this list.

#9, Jedd Fisch, Arizona

Jedd Fisch, Arizona, $3.25 million

Jedd Fisch is in his third season as the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats. He has a 9-20 record and currently makes $3.25 million this season.

#8, Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State

Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State, $3.85 million

Kenny Dillingham is in his first season as head coach of Arizona State and ranks eighth on this list with a salary of $3.85 million.

Dillingham and Arizona State are 1-4 to begin the season.

#7, Kalen DeBoer, Washington

Kalen DeBoer, Washington, $4.2 million

Kalen DeBoer is in his second season as head coach of Washington and has seen immediate success with the Huskies.

DeBoer went 11-2 last season and started this year 5-0. He currently earns $4.2 million per year, which puts him seventh on this list.

#6, Justin Wilcox, Cal

Justin Wilcox, Cal, $4.4 million

Justin Wilcox has been Cal's head coach since 2017 and is in his seventh season. He currently makes $4.4 million per year and has a record of 33-38 with Cal.

#5, Jonathan Smith, Oregon State

Jonathan Smith, Oregon State, $4.85 million

Jonathan Smith is in his sixth season as head coach of the Oregon State and is making $4.85 million this season.

#4, Deion Sanders, Colorado

Deion Sanders, Colorado, $5.5 million

Deion Sanders has been the talk of college football and is making $5.5 million this season with Colorado.

#3, Chip Kelly, UCLA

Chip Kelly, UCLA, $5,979,167

Chip Kelly returned to college to coach UCLA and has been the head coach since 2018. He's gone 30-30 at UCLA and currently makes $5,979,617.

#2, Kyle Whittingham, Utah

Kyle Whittingham, Utah, $6.325 million

Kyle Whittingham has been the Utah Utes head coach since 2004 going 158-75, as he has only been a head coach there. He's second in this list, making $6.325 million this season.

#1, Dan Lanning, Oregon

Dan Lanning, Oregon, $6,624,999

Dan Lanning is in his second year at Oregon but is leading the Pac-12 in head coach salary with $6,624,999 this season.