On Wednesday, On3 revealed its new list of the Top 25 highest‑paid head coaches in college football for 2025, and the Big 12 made a notable appearance. Among the rankings, Colorado’s Deion Sanders checked in at No. 14 and Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham landed at No. 25.
The salary table, based largely on publicly available data collected by USA Today, suggests total compensation (excluding certain bonuses) for each coach. Sanders’ $8,975,000 places him solidly in the middle of the upper tier, while Dillingham’s $7,442,000 earns him a closing spot on the list.
It is always interesting when Big 12 coaches surface in national salary rankings because the league doesn’t always contend in that conversation. The inclusion of Sanders and Dillingham means the Big 12 is getting attention not just on the field but in the boardrooms and pay scales of major programs.
For Sanders, the ranking adds to his profile as a high‑investment hire, making a name for himself in college football. His placement at No. 14 underscores the financial confidence Colorado has in his program. For Dillingham, being in the Top 25 highlights the resources Arizona State is directing toward its coaching structure, despite the program’s status as a newer member of the Big 12.
Of course, compensation rankings rarely tell the full story. They do not always reflect boosters, performance bonuses, buyouts, or supplemental pay. But in a sport where coaching salaries are often scrutinized, seeing two Big 12 heads among the top echelon signals that the conference is competitive even in budget terms.
The payoff here is twofold: recruits, boosters, and media will note that Big 12 programs are capable of investing in premium coaching, and the next time salary talks surface in college athletics, the league can point to visible data rather than assumptions.
