Where Illinois football's Bret Bielema ranks in coach pay in USA TODAY annual report

Illinois coach Bret Bielema is the 29th highest-paid coach in college football but trails nine other Big Ten Conference coaches, according to USA TODAY Sports' annual analysis of coaches’ compensation released Wednesday.

Bielema got a small bump this season, his total pay at $6.65 million, up from his $6.5 million in 2023. He earned $4.2 million and $4.3 million his first two seasons in Champaign.

Bielema's salary ranking among the Big Ten shows how much the league's schools must pay to keep the top coaches. USC's Lincoln Riley and Ohio State's Ryan Day lead the Big Ten with total pay of just more than $10 million, both in the top five nationally.

The Southeastern Conference far and away has the highest-paid coaches, with 12 of the top 25. Georgia’s Kirby Smart is the highest paid in the SEC and the country, at $13.3 million.

Here are the highest paid coaches in the Big Ten for 2024, along with national rank:

Big Ten Conference coach pay 2024

1. Lincoln Riley (USC): $10.04 million, 4th nationally
2. Ryan Day (Ohio State): $10.02 million, 5th nationally
3. James Franklin (Penn State): $8.5 million, 13th nationally
4. Dan Lanning (Oregon): $8.2 million, 14th nationally
5. Luke Fickell (Wisconsin): $7.73 million, 18th nationally
6. Jedd Fisch (Washington): $7.7 million, 19th nationally
7. Jonathan Smith (Michigan State): $7.25 million, 22nd nationally
8. Kirk Ferentz (Iowa): $7 million, 23rd nationally
9. P.J. Fleck (Minnesota): $6.7 million, 26th nationally
10. Bret Bielema (Illinois): $6.65 million, 29th nationally
11. Matt Rhule (Nebraska): $6.5 million, 31st nationally
12. Greg Schiano (Rutgers): $6.25 million, 34th nationally
13. Sherrone Moore (Michigan): $6 million, 35th nationally
14. Mike Locksley (Maryland): $5,80 million, 37th nationally
15. Curt Cignetti (Indiana): $4.25 million, 49th nationally
16. Ryan Walters (Purdue): $4.05 million, 52nd nationally
17. DeShaun Foster (UCLA): $4.05 million, 58th nationally
18. David Braun (Northwestern): Unavailable

What Bret Bielema earns in pay and bonuses, plus buyout

In addition to $6.65 million base salary, Bielema can receive a maximum bonus of $1.6 million annually. In 2023, Bielema earned $150,000 in bonuses.

Bielema's contract buyout for Illinois is $29.125 million, which ranks 21st among college football coaches. Smart is also atop that category with a buyout of $118 million.

Bielema is in his fourth season at Illinois. He has a 23-20 record with one bowl appearance, with another likely this season.

This season, the Illini (5-1, 2-1 B1G) are ranked No. 21 in the US LBM Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the AP Top 25 heading into Saturday’s game (2:30 p.m. CT, CBS) against No. 22 Michigan (4-2, 2-1).

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Where Illinois football's Bret Bielema ranks in coach pay in USA TODAY annual report