Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide football program will have a blissful marriage for many more years to come. On Tuesday, the school announced a contract extension that will keep the coach at his current post until 2024. All this means is that he will be around longer, he will make more money, and the rest of the college football world will have more time to wait out an era of unparalleled success on the football field and the recruiting trail.
Details of the extension
The contract extension runs through 2024, adding three years to the previous contract Saban was operating under.
He will receive a $4 million signing bonus immediately upon signing above the dotted line. Cumulatively, he'll make over $11 million this year, a sizable raise from the approximately $7 million he made in 2016. With his signing bonus and contractual stipulations, Alabama is likely making their head man the highest paid coach in football (college and professional) based on available data.
Saban isn't the only one cashing in, though. Alabama has also given extensions and raises to most of his coaching staff, including outside linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi (who will make $950,000) and strength coach Scott Cochran (who will make $535,000). Additionally, the new athletic director of the school and the coordinators of the football program have had their contracts disclosed.
Unrivaled dominance
The newest contract will ensure Saban once again surpasses Michigan Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh on the monetary scale, which should have always been the case. While Harbaugh has done good work lately, Saban has been one of the best coaches in the history of college football, with his Alabama teams constantly in contention for SEC and national championships on an annual basis.
Saban has now been the coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide for ten years. In that span, he has averaged less than two losses per year, compiling a 119-19 record. That includes four national titles, rivaling Bear Bryant in the annals of college football and school history. Over the course of his total career, he has 205 victories and is well on his way to becoming the fifth coach to hit the 300-win plateau.
Saban is 65 years old, so he will be north of 70 when his newest contract ends. If Bill Snyder can keep on turning in his time card at Kansas State everyday, however, the Alabama coach will have the motivation to do the same for as long as possible.
