It’s a high-paying career as an assistant coach on a college football team. There’s always a lot of buzz around how much the coaches, especially the defensive coordinators, earn and by what margin their salaries have risen. Here are the top seven highest-paid defensive coordinators in college football and details of their wages.
Top 7 Highest-Paid Defensive Coordinators in CFB History
1. Matt Patricia
Matt Patricia signed a $2.5 million contract with Ohio State for the 2025 season, making him one of the highest-paid assistant coaches in college football.
Patricia’s salary is $300,000 more than what the Buckeyes previously paid Jim Knowles last year before his departure to Penn State. Before signing with Ohio State, Patricia played with the Philadelphia Eagles for the 2023 NFL season as the senior defensive assistant.
2. Blake Baker
Blake Baker signed a three-year deal with LSU, which pays him $2.5 million annually. Baker joined LSU in 2024 after ending his two seasons with Missouri. In his last season with Missouri, Baker earned a salary of $15 million with a bonus of $1.65 million.
The defensive coordinator started coaching in 2009 with Clear Springs High School as the wide receivers coach. Baker was a linebacker at Tulane from 2000 to 2004, having played 42 career games.
3. Wink Martindale
In March 2024, Wink Martindale signed a three-year contract with the Wolverines with a healthy sum of money. 2025 Martindale will make $2.5 million, according to his contract.
Last season, the defensive coordinator made $2.3 million in salary, which is expected to rise to $2.7 million in 2026. Before signing with Michigan, Martindale worked two seasons as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.
4. Pete Golding
In 2023, Pete Golding was hired by Ole Miss on a three-year contract, which paid $1.9 million to the defensive coordinator in his first season. In 2024, Golding got a salary of $2.15 million and is all set to earn a massive payout of $2.25 million in 2025.
Golding’s contract ends in 2026, with his final earnings around $2.35 million. Before joining Ole Miss, Golding stayed for four seasons with Alabama from 2018 to 2022. In his last year with Alabama, Golding earned a salary of $17,25,000.
5. Jim Knowles
Jim Knowles has one of the most underrated contracts, which makes him one of the highest-paid defensive coordinators in college football. In 2024, Knowles signed a three-year contract with Penn State with an average annual salary of $3.1 million.
In addition, Knowles also expects to earn over $1 million in bonuses if Penn State wins the national championship. Before moving to Pennsylvania, Knowles was with Ohio State from 2022 to 2024.
6. Pete Kwiatkowski
The Texas Longhorns hired Pete Kwiatkowski in 2021, and the defensive coordinator has been with the football team ever since. In his first three seasons with the team, he was paid around $1.7 million.
After the 2023 season, he signed a three-year contract extension, earning him $1.8 million in 2024. In 2025, he is expected to earn $1.9 million; in 2026, his salary is expected to reach around $2 million. Before joining the Texas Longhorns, Kwiatkowski played for the Washington Huskies from 2014 to 2020.
7. Tosh Lupoi
The Oregon Ducks hired Tosh Lupoi as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2022. In March 2025, he signed a contract extension that will keep him with the team until 2030.
KEEP READING: Who Are College Football’s Highest-Paid Coaches Right Now?
According to his contract, the defensive coordinator will earn a minimum of $2 million per year for the upcoming six seasons. Before starting his career with Oregon, he worked as a defensive line coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021.
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