Sherrone Moore, the Michigan Wolverines’ new football coach, is surprisingly underpaid. Moore’s current annual pay, $5.5 million, is less than half that of the sport’s top coach. Moore’s compensation isn’t even close to making the top ten. Nonetheless, it’s easy to argue that Sherrone Moore should be the highest-paid coach in college football.
Moore has just signed a five-year contract worth $5.5 million per year to coach the Michigan Wolverines. In comparison, Ohio State’s Ryan Day, whose team lost to Michigan the previous three years, will make an estimated $10.2 million each year, over double
Given the value of recent media deals, the fact that Michigan is consistently a top attraction on television, and the fact that the team sells out the country’s largest stadium, it seems clear that Moore is not being compensated fairly. Add to that Michigan’s schedule is set to be the best in college football history. All eyes will soon be on the Wolverines—and coach Moore.
Michigan Wolverines Are the Top Draw
Clemson’s head coach, Dabo Swinney, is scheduled to earn $11.5 million in 2024, making him the highest-paid college football coach. Kalen DeBoer, the Alabama Crimson Tide’s first-year head coach, will be paid $10 million. Sherrone Moore and the Michigan Wolverines will most likely be watched by more people, both on television and in person.
The Rose Bowl matchup between Michigan and Alabama was the most-watched college football game this season. The national championship game between Michigan and Washington drew the second most viewers. The game between Michigan and Ohio State was the third most watched. Michigan versus Iowa was ranked eighth, Michigan versus Penn State was ranked sixteenth, while Michigan versus Nebraska, Maryland, and Michigan State were among the week’s top-rated games.
In addition, Michigan’s home games are held at the “Big House,” which consistently attracts the greatest audiences. In 2023, home attendance was over 770,000.
More proof. Michigan competes in the Big Ten, which has the most lucrative media deal. According to Sports Business Journal, the conference’s seven-year, $8 billion pact with FOX, CBS, and NBC averages $1.15 billion per year. The SEC’s media deal is the next biggest, costing approximately $710 million. Nielsen believes that each Big Ten member school will get almost $100 million per year from the agreement.
