Why Penn State’s Football Coach Earns $12.7 Million but Isn’t on PSU’s List of Top-Paid Employees.
Despite earning an impressive $12.7 million, Penn State’s football coach James Franklin is notably absent from the university’s official list of top-paid employees. This discrepancy has raised eyebrows, considering Franklin’s prominent role as the leader of one of the top college football programs in the country.
The reason for Franklin’s exclusion from the list lies in the structure of his compensation package. While the majority of his salary is substantial, much of it comes from outside sources, including performance bonuses, outside marketing deals, and other contractual incentives. Penn State’s official list of top-paid employees is based on salaries reported by the university, which often only includes base salary and direct compensation from the institution itself, not from external sources.
In Franklin’s case, a significant portion of his $12.7 million is tied to his success with the football program, including bowl game appearances, national rankings, and the overall performance of the team. His total compensation package reflects his value as one of the highest-paid coaches in college football, but because some of this income is from external or performance-based sources, it is not included in the list of university employees.
This has led to some confusion, but it underscores the growing financial complexity in college sports, where coaches often earn significant sums through a mix of institutional salary and outside deals. While Franklin may not appear on the official list, his compensation certainly reflects his status as one of college football’s elite coaches.
