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College Football coaching salaries 2017: Worth it, not worth it

By Nathaniel Reeves

TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 14: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 14: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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WINSTON SALEM, NC – OCTOBER 28: Head coach Bobby Petrino of the Louisville Cardinals adjust his headset late in the fourth quarter of the Cardinals’ football game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at BB
WINSTON SALEM, NC – OCTOBER 28: Head coach Bobby Petrino of the Louisville Cardinals adjust his headset late in the fourth quarter of the Cardinals’ football game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at BB /

Not worth it: Bobby Petrino 

Petrino has managed to clean up his act off the field during his second stint at Louisville, but the Cardinals have not been good enough to justify his healthy salary despite having the best player in college football over the past two years.

A longtime offensive coordinator at various stops in both college and the NFL, Petrino got his first head job with Louisville back in 2003. The Cardinals were a middling Conference USA team at the time but enjoyed one of the best stints in program history with a 41-9 record over four years before Petrino jumped back to the NFL.

After a brief stop with the Atlanta Falcons, Petrino led Arkansas to a 34-17 record including a Sugar Bowl appearance before the infamous motorcycle crash unceremoniously ended things in April of 2012. Petrino spent a year rehabilitating his image at Western Kentucky before Louisville decided it was worth bringing back the successful coach for a second tenure ahead of the 2014 season.

Louisville has been decent if unspectacular since with a 34-17 record since, but the last two years have undoubtedly been disappointing with Lamar Jackson putting up record-breaking numbers. Things are stagnating this year with Louisville sitting at 8-4, and Petrino made a major mistake by bringing in struggling defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon to replace the terrific Todd Grantham during the offseason.

With a $3.9 million salary to rank just outside the top 20 nationally, Petrino hasn’t been worth it this season and there are legitimate questions about Louisville’s future. The Cardinals have much higher expectations now than in Petrino’s first stint, and he needs to be better in 2018.

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