Illinois Football Head Coaches' Salaries
Illinois
Big Ten Conference
2020 Total Pay figures takes into account reductions due to issues caused by COVID-19 pandemic. 2020 Max Bonus amounts not tallied. 2021 Total Pay does not take into account reductions.
Total Pandemic Reductions shown may actually have been lower due to changes made after publication of 2020 figure. For all notes, see below.
Year | Coach | Total Pay | Scheduled School Pay | Other Pay | Contract Year Pandemic Reduction | Actual School Pay | Total Pandemic Pay Reduction | Max Bonus | Prior Year’s Bonus |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Bret Bielema | $6,500,000 | $6,500,000 | — | $0 | $6,500,000 | $0 | $1,600,000 | $425,000 |
2022 | Bret Bielema | $4,300,000 | $4,300,000 | — | $0 | $4,300,000 | $0 | $1,500,000 | $50,000 |
2021 | Bret Bielema | $4,200,000 | $4,200,000 | — | $0 | $4,200,000 | $0 | $1,200,000 | — |
2020 | Lovie Smith | $3,800,000 | $4,000,000 | $0 | $200,000 | $3,800,000 | $200,000 | — | $87,500 |
2019 | Lovie Smith | $4,000,000 | $4,000,000 | — | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,000,000 | $37,500 |
2018 | Lovie Smith | $5,000,000 | $5,000,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,000,000 | $50,000 |
2017 | Lovie Smith | $3,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,000,000 | $50,000 |
2016 | Lovie Smith | $1,809,179 | $1,809,179 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1,000,000 | $0 |
2015 | Tim Beckman | $1,900,200 | $1,900,000 | $200 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $80,000 | — |
2015 | Bill Cubit | $916,010 | $915,000 | $1,010 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $51,500 | — |
2014 | Tim Beckman | $1,950,250 | $1,950,000 | $250 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $80,000 | — |
2013 | Tim Beckman | $1,700,000 | $1,700,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $80,000 | — |
2012 | Tim Beckman | $1,600,000 | $1,600,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $80,000 | — |
2011 | Ron Zook | $1,753,500 | $1,750,000 | $3,500 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $65,650 | — |
2010 | Ron Zook | $1,508,500 | $1,505,000 | $3,500 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $52,650 | — |
2009 | Ron Zook | $1,505,000 | $605,000 | $900,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $52,650 | $0 |
2007 | Ron Zook | $1,055,000 | $305,000 | $750,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $26,650 | $0 |
2006 | Ron Zook | $1,241,750 | $530,000 | $711,750 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $28,600 | $0 |
Income Notes
- 2020
REDUCTION: Total compensation ($4 million) reduced by 10% from June 1, 2020 through Nov. 30, 2020. Contract year ends Jan. 31, 2021. - 2018
School pay includes $1,000,000 payment that Smith will receive only if he remains head coach through Jan. 1, 2019. This would be in connection with Smith remaining head coach from March 7, 2016, through Jan. 1, 2019. - 2015
Cubit serving as interim head coach. School pay based on the compensation called for by Cubit's pre-existing employment agreement to be the team's offensive coordinator, plus a $100,000-per-month supplement for serving as interim head coach from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31. The university had paid previous head coach, Tim Beckman, $1,098,160 from the start of his contract year, Feb. 1, through his termination in September.
The information below applies to the data obtained for the 2023-2024 contract season: To see the methodology behind this data, click here.
Where the table does not display a number, it means the amount could not be obtained. An asterisk means additional information about the coach's compensation is available by clicking on the number shown.
“School Buyout” figures are the amount a school would owe coach if it fired coach without cause on April 1, 2024. Many of these amounts are expressly subject to coach's duty to make good-faith efforts to find another job, with income from that employment offsetting the amount owed. If mitigation and offset are not addressed in a contract, coach still may have obligation to make efforts in that regard. The amount listed may be owed to coach over an extended period of time, rather than as a lump sum at termination.
Coaches' records are going into 2023-24 season, compiled from information displayed in NCAA statistics database at NCAA Statistics – so they may be impacted by games vacated or forfeited by the NCAA or the schools.
"Record at school" data for Murray State’s Steve Prohm is based on his current tenure at the school.
CREDITS
By Steve Berkowitz, Sean Dougherty, Leo Wotzak and Brad Jennings of USA TODAY; Robert Lattinville of WME, who represents college coaches and athletics directors as well as NCAA member schools.