Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi is One of the Highest Paid Coaches in the ACC

Pat Narduzzi is compensated as one of the top coaches in the ACC.

USA Today released its latest coaches’ salary database, and Narduzzi is on the border of the 25 highest-paid coaches in college football. He makes $6,699,551 as the head coach of the Pitt Panthers, which is the fourth-highest total salary in the ACC and 27th-highest in college football.

Due to the nature of the University of Pittsburgh, his maximum bonuses, bonuses paid in the 2023-24 year and school buyout as of Dec. 1, 2024, are unavailable.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart is the highest-paid coach in college football, with a total pay of $13,282,580. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is the highest-paid coach in the ACC, with a total pay of $11,132,775.

Swinney, Florida State head coach Mike Norvell  ($10,000,000), Miami head coach Mario Cristobal ($7,783,069), Narduzzi and North Carolina State head coach Dave Doeren ($5,965,377) round out the top five highest-paid coaches in the ACC.

Top 10 Nationally

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart — $13,282,580

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney — $11,132,775

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian — $10,600,000

USC head coach Lincoln Riley — $10,043,418

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day — $10,021,250

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell — $10,000,000

Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer — $10,000,000

LSU head coach Brian Kelly — $9,975,000

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops — $9,013,600

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin — $9,000,000

Narduzzi is in his 10th season at the helm of Pitt football, and after the worst season of his tenure in Pittsburgh, he’s rebounded with the best start of his career. Pitt is 6-0 for the first time since 1982 and ranked inside the AP Poll. He isn’t worried about where his team is ranked right now though.

“Didn’t talk about it last night at all,” Narduzzi said last week. “But Tuesday just talk about like, hey, refocus; doesn’t matter what we’ve done in the past. That’s just the name of the game. That’s what I’ve done forever. And I don’t care the ranking. I don’t care the preseason ranking. The only ranking we’ll brag about is what our postseason ranking is and trying to win a championship. Those are the rankings you worry about.

“Right now, midseason, if you get too caught up, look at us, we’re ranked, good luck to you.”

Narduzzi needed a spark, needed to embrace the modern age of college football, and he did so. It can be difficult sometimes for a long-term coach to make a change from what he’s been doing, but the changes Narduzzi made during the offseason have led to major success — and set the Panthers up for more.

Narduzzi is in Year 10 now largely because he’s brought stability — and success — following a tumultuous post-Dave Wannstedt era. Pitt didn’t want someone who viewed the job as a stepping stone, and he’s certainly raised the floor and ceiling of the program.

There have been ups and downs, but throughout it all, Narduzzi has certainly been good for a program that went through Michael Haywood, Todd Graham, Keith Patterson, Paul Chryst and Joe Rudolph either being hired or coaching at least one game between 2010-2014.

“I’m loyal, and I think they were looking for some loyalty,” Narduzzi said over the summer.

Narduzzi is 71-50 (45-31) in his nine-and-a-half seasons in Pittsburgh, and the Panthers are receiving College Football Playoff buzz in the midst of the best start to a season since the early 80s.

He signed a long-term deal with Pitt in March of 2022, extending his contract through the 2030 season.