Highest-Paid CFB Coaches Stumble Through September — SkimNews
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- Mike Elko at Texas A&M sits at 2-2 (0-2 SEC) on a $10.75 million salary after a home loss to Kentucky and a 29-point beatdown by LSU that exposed offensive deficiencies, stemming from his choice to retain QB Marcel Reed and promote assistant Holmon Wiggins rather than hire externally.
- Brent Venables at Oklahoma is 2-2 (0-1 SEC) on a $10.5 million salary despite signing a new six-year deal after last year's CFP appearance, with QB John Mateer's mistakes fueling a humiliating loss to Georgia on Saturday.
- Lincoln Riley at USC fell to 4-1 (1-1 Big Ten) on an $11.5 million salary after a 41-27 home loss to Oregon — his 15th defeat in 20 games against ranked opponents since arriving in Los Angeles.
- Mike Locksley at Maryland is 2-2 (0-1 Big Ten) on a $6.4 million salary after the school retained him last November with NIL support to keep QB Malik Washington, yet the team "looks worse" following a 51-point loss at UCLA.
- Shane Beamer at South Carolina is 2-2 (0-2 SEC) on an $8.2 million salary, sitting on an eight-game Power Four losing streak and having indefinitely suspended his best defensive player after a 49-18 loss at Alabama.
- Deion Sanders at Colorado is 2-2 (0-1 Big 12) on a $10 million salary, struggling to score with Julian Lewis at quarterback and suffering an embarrassing loss at Northwestern after players mocked the Wildcats' temporary "quiet as a library" stadium.
Why it matters: Six Power Four programs are paying $57.35 million combined to coaches whose September output includes three 0-2 SEC records and five winless conference starts overall, despite the premium salaries. With ranked opponents looming and athletic directors already weighing changes, the sunk cost of these contracts makes mid-season firings expensive but increasingly plausible.
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