Top 10 Lowest Paid College Football Coaches 

The top college football coaches in the NCAA earn millions of dollars a year. However, the lower-end coaches in non-major conferences are nowhere near making those numbers in salary.

Although coaching football for a living at a college is still a very good job, many coaches aren't earning as high of a salary as many fans think. It also should be noted that some coaches' salaries are not public due to state or university rules.

Here are the top 10 lowest-paid college football coaches in 2023.

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10 college football coaches who are paid the lowest in 2023

#1 Terry Bowden, UL Monroe, $435,400

USA Today released the list of all the college football coaches' salaries, and ranking at 119, which is the lowest in college football, is Terry Bowden, who is UL Monroe's head coach, at $435,400.

Bowden is in his third season at UL Monroe and has been under .500 in his first two seasons. Since taking the job, he's 10-21 as the head coach. Before working at UL Monroe, he coached at Akron, North Alabama, Auburn, Samford and Salem.

#2 Kenni Burns, Kent State, $527,100

Kenni Burns is the second-lowest paying head coach at $527,100, as he's in his first season at Kent State.

Burns is in his first year as a college football coach, and Kent State is off to a 1-7 start.

#3 Scot Loeffler, Bowling Green, $560,000

Scot Loeffler is making $560,000

Scot Loeffler is making $560,000 as coach of Bowling Green. He ranks third among the lowest-paid college football coaches.

Loeffler is in his fifth season at Bowling Green, which is also his first head coaching gig. He's led the school to a 17-33 record.

#4 Chuch Martin, Miami (Ohio), $575,300

Chuch Martin is in his 10th season at Miami of Ohio but is the fourth lowest-paid coach in college football.

Martin has gone 51-61 with the RedHawks, and before taking this job in 2014, he was the coach of Grand Valley State from 2004 until 2009.

#5 Chris Creighton, Eastern Michigan, $590,000

Chris Creighton comes in fifth on this list as the Eastern Michigan coach is making $590,000 in 2023.

Creighton is in his 10th season at Eastern Michigan and has gone 50-65. He has led the school to five Bowl Games, going 1-4.

Tied for #6 K.C. Keeler, Sam Houston State, $600,000

K.C. Keeler is in his 10th season at Sam Houston State and is making $600,000 in 2023.

Keeler has been a head coach in college football since 1993, with stops at Rowan, Delaware and Sam Houston State. With the Bearkats, Keeler is 85-34 as the head coach, but the school is 0-7 this season.

Tied for #6, Jerry Kill, New Mexico State, $600,000

Jerry Kill is tied with K.C. Keeler for the sixth lowest-paid coach in college football at $600,000.

Kill is in his second season as coach of New Mexico State. Before taking the job with the Aggies, he served as interim head coach at TCU for four games. Kill also served as the head coach for Minnesota, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, Emporia State and Saginaw Valley State.

#8 Timmy Chang, Hawaii, $600,006

Timmy Chang is the head coach of Hawaii

Timmy Chang is eighth on this list at $600,006 as he's in his second season as coach of the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Chang also played five seasons as the Rainbow Warriors quarterback from 2000 until 2004.

Chang is 5-16 as the coach of Hawaii, while the school is 2-6 in 2023.

#9 Joe Moorhead, Akron, $620,000

Joe Moorhead is making $620,000 as the coach of Akron.

Moorhead is in his second season at Akron and has gone 3-17 with the school. He had coached two seasons at Mississippi State in 2018 and 2019, going 14-12. He got his first head coaching gig in 2012 at Fordham and lasted four seasons, posting a 38-13 record.

#10 Tim Albin, Ohio, $651,500

Tim Albin rounds out this list as the Ohio coach is making $651,500 this season.

Albin is in his third season with the Bobcats and lost in the Mid-American Conference championship game last season.