Alabama coach Nick Saban salary, contract, national championship bonuses

Saban stands alone in the annals of current college football head coaches, and he is paid accordingly

Nick Saban is one of the most prolific college football coaches in the country, and his record is indicative of that. Under Saban, Alabama is 126-20 with an 8-4 bowl record (plus an Independence Bowl win and five losses that were vacated in 2007). The team also has four national titles so far with the chance to earn another one against Georgia on Monday. In accordance with his success, Saban is the most well paid coach in the country.

Saban is currently in the midst of an eight-year contract that will see him as the Crimson Tide head coach until 2025. Under the contract signed in April, Saban got a $4 million signing bonus. He will make $65 million over the life of his current deal, including $11.125 million this season (including the signing bonus).

He can also see incentives of up to $700,000 per season. According to USA Today's salary tracker, Saban makes the most of any college head coach -- by far. Surprisingly, his bonus is on the low side -- although it's well-known by now that Alabama "expects success." He made $550,000 in incentives for the 2016-17 season, one in which which Alabama lost to Clemson in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship.

In 2018, Saban's base pay will be $7.125 million. Come 2019 and 2020, that will escalate to $7.525 million. It will be in 2021 that Alabama will likely work on Saban's deal again, and keeping with trends, Saban is slated to get $10.325 million. Over the final three years of his contract, presuming no extension, Saban will get $7.125 million, bookending the deal. All of these years have contract-year completion incentives: $400,000 for 2018 and the final three years, $800,000 for 2019 and 2020 and $3.6 million with the completion of 2021.

Per USA Today, Saban's buyout for firing without cause is an absurd $26.9 million. This number includes up to four years of his base salary and a "talent fee," which covers his numerous TV and radio appearances.

Saban's coaching assistants are also extremely well compensated, making nearly $6 million between them, via USA Today.

Saban has kept getting extensions and continues to win. In 2014, Alabama tweaked his salary to $6.9 million per season, so the raise before 2017 was far from insignificant. Although Saban has never expressed interest in going anywhere else, Alabama clearly doesn't even want the conversation to creep into his head -- and why would it when Saban keeps leading Alabama to chances to play for national titles?

He's been nothing but successful for the team, and as long as that continues, Saban is in Tuscaloosa to stay.