Former Alabama coach Nick Saban will earn $500,000 a year in his new advisory role with the university, according to documents obtained by multiple media outlets. That figure is actually higher than the $305,000 base salary he earned in 2023, his final year leading the Crimson Tide.
That base salary doesn't tell the whole story of his earnings, of course. Saban's previous contract was laced with bonuses and other structured payments that moved his actual salary well into the eight-figure range.
Saban signed a new contract with Alabama in 2022 worth a reported value of $93.6 million over eight years, including that $305,000 base salary. It also featured a talent fee worth north of $9 million annually. All told, Saban was the highest-paid coach in college football at the time.
Alabama paid Saban $858,716 in February, just over a month after he announced his retirement, according to AL.com. He will make $41,666 in his advisory role and his credited with a 40-hour work week.
In addition to his post as an advisor, which comes with an office inside Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium, Saban will also serve as a college football analyst on ESPN's "College GameDay."
Alabama gave Saban's successor, former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, a 10-year contract that pays $10 million in its first year and is set to grow by $250,000 in each successive year. DeBoer made $4.2 million for a 2023 season with Washington in which he led the Huskies to their first College Football Playoff National Championship appearance.
