College football’s top 25 highest-paid coaches for 2020 season

3. Ed Orgeron – LSU

• 2020 Salary: $8.7 million

This shows how important a National Championship is. LSU went 15-0 last season, dominating everyone along the way, and they ended the season as the best team in college football. Ed Orgeron got a slight raise before last season to make his salary $4 million. This year, his compensation more than doubles.

He signed a seven-year, $49 million contract, but with the certain incentives he gets, it’s worth $8.7 million in the first year. It’s hard to say Orgeron isn’t worth it. He took down Alabama as the leader in the SEC, rolled through Oklahoma on its way to a big win against Trevor Lawrence and Clemson. He turned Joe Burrow from a middling prospect to a Heisman winner and No. 1 overall pick. He tied an NFL record by having 14 players drafted in the most recent NFL Draft. Orgeron put together an amazing team, and LSU is paying for that.

Can he repeat it? It’s certainly a fair question. His LSU teams have gotten better every year he’s been there, and now it looks like he plans to be there for a long time. The Tigers need to replace those 14 great players, which includes the starting quarterback. They still come in with lofty expectations.

Orgeron needs to show that his impeccable season was more than a one-hit-wonder. He’s paid a ton of money now, and his name is next to the two best coaches the game has seen a long time. If he wants to stay there, then he needs to keep winning.