James Franklin salary & contract details: How much does Penn State football coach get paid per year?

James Franklin is entering his 11th season as the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions in 2024 and much of the fanbase views it as a make-or-break year with the growth of the Big Ten and the expansion of the College Football Playoff. 

Franklin was able to rebuild the program into a national contender after Bill O’Brien resuscitated it, and led the Nittany Lions to the Big Ten title in 2016. His early success in Happy Valley earned him a 10-year contract extension in 2021. 

Franklin has won at least 10 games five times since taking over and his teams would have qualified for a 12-team CFP six times. Yet, with his big contract, if Franklin doesn’t get it done this season with former five-star quarterback Drew Allar, then his substantial salary will come into question. 

That 10-year contract extension was worth a base of $75 million. 

How much does James Franklin get paid per year?

James Franklin makes a base salary of $7.5 million each season with additional incentives built into his contract. Franklin will make an additional $350,000 for winning the Big Ten championship game, $400,000 for making the College Football Playoff, and $800,000 for winning a national championship. 

His base salary of $7.5 million is also supplemented by a $500,000 annual retention bonus and a $1 million life insurance policy. So some reports consider his yearly salary to be $8.5 million. That total ranks him 12th nationally, just behind Lane Kiffin, Josh Heupel, and Mark Stoops.

His contract carries a $2 million buyout in 2024 and 2025 which drops to $1 million for the remaining years of the deal.