It’s no secret College Sports are slowly turning into a “Pay for Play” system like in the NFL. NIL has been legal since July 1, 2021.

Some of the old-time great NCAA coaches who benefited from pre-NIL are now walking away from the game.

Did Nick Saban recently testify to Congress about the unfair compensation system? But it was fair for him, right?

It’s also a given, that the best coaches deserve their payday. One thing is certain in sports and corporate America, “nobody, including amateur athletes, wants to work for free.”

NCAA Overpaid Coaches

1. Bobby Hurley (Arizona State)

The former UB Bulls coach started Pac-12 Conference play hot. The ASU Sun Devils started out 4-0, but fell off the earth towards the end.

They completed the season tied with Stanford and Southern California near the bottom of the Pac-12. Hurley looks like he could be going from hero to zero as he is on the hot seat.

For the 2023-24 season, Hurley will be pulling in $3.1 million.

2. Kevin Willard (Maryland)

The former Seton Hall coach has had two opposite starts since being named Maryland’s interim head coach. He went 22-13 with his Terrapins, as they made the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Things went backwards this past year going 15-16 with a losing season. It was the first losing record for an interim coach since 1992-93.

At Seton Hall, Willard set two straight losing seasons. Things turned around for him after the Pirates would go to five NCAA tournaments.

But at Seton Hall, they wanted patience; at Maryland, it could wear thin.

His first two seasons may not be that bad, but he’s making $4 million a year at a middle-of-the-road, Big-10 school. Time will still tell, but it could run out faster than Cinderella at midnight.

3. Mike Woodson (Indiana)

The former New York Knicks bench leader is returning for another season with the Hoosiers. Woodson is compensating for $4.2 million in all.

He is the third richest head coach in the Big Ten with a team going backwards. After back-back tournament berths, including a tie for the second-place finish in the Big Ten, 2024 was a step back.

The team finished 19-14, (10-10 in the Big Ten) and declined an invite to the NIT. It’s championship or bust in Indiana, and they don’t accept participation trophy bids.

4. John Calipari (Kentucky)

Calipari may be the Greatest Basketball Coach of all time still standing. Yeah, the greatest was maybe a decade and a half ago.

Before the legalization of NIL in 2021, Coach Cal won multiple national championships in a system where he would make millions of dollars off his players.

The problem is, were his players being illegally compensated under the table?

Fast forward to 2024, the $8.5 million head coach has had trouble with dominance. The team hasn’t been past the second round of the NCAA tournament since their 2019 Elite Eight run.

Also, with early exits in 2022 and 23, there were talks about the man being fired this year.

He may end up walking away from the game due to being unhappy with the current rules of the NIL compensation.

With all the money coaches are being paid today, not just in the NCAA, it’s not a wonder that many and most coaches in all sports are overpaid coaches.

I feel that they should all be, “paid by performance”.

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