Impact on salaries of college football's top coaches by proposed Restore College Sports Act

Last month, on the same day the House v. NCAA settlement final approval hearing took place, a transformative bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Called the Restore College Sports Act, it would notably replace the NCAA and put a cap on coaches’ salaries.

Particularly in college football, the amount of money going toward coaches continues to climb. The bill would look to halt that surge, and a study done by Sports Business Journal showed 219 members of FBS staffs – 108 head coaches and 111 assistant coaches – would be impacted, based on publicly available data.

Those coaches would have to take pay cuts, according to the bill. Per the terms of H.R. 2663, coaches’ salaries would be limited to no more than 10 times the full cost of attendance for a university.

If the bill goes into law, Georgia coach Kirby Smart would see one of the most significant changes. The highest-paid coach in college football, according to the On3 Coach Salaries Index, he would have to take a $12.42 million cut from his current $13.28 million salary. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney would also have to take an $11.1 million cut.

Texas’ Steve Sarkisian would take the third-highest pay cut at $10.6 million, according to SBJ’s research, followed by USC’s Lincoln Riley and Ohio State’s Ryan Day at $10 million each.

Even as the House v. NCAA settlement final approval process continues, NCAA leadership continues to call on Congress for help. Two days after last month’s hearing, leaders from across college sports headed to Washington, D.C. for College Sports Day. The Wall Street Journal also reported President Donald Trump also said he is considering an executive order which would create more scrutiny around NIL.

More on the Restore College Sports Act

In addition to the cap on coaches’ salaries, the Restore College Sports Act would create the American College Sports Association. The entity would replace the NCAA and, “oversee and regulate college sports.” Per the bill, the ACSA would have a commissioner appointed by the president with advice and consent of the Senate. The commissioner would serve four-year terms.

The bill also calls for NIL funds and revenue directly shared with the schools to be distributed “equally among all student athletes of such institutions within the ACSA.” Broadcast revenue would also need to be distributed equally, and athletes would be able to transfer “freely” and do so without penalty or restrictions, according to the bill.

After a groundbreaking round of conference realignment shook up the college sports world, the Restore College Sports Act would transform them once again. Under the bill, conferences would need to include teams within the same time zone, with travel and academic concerns cited as reasons.

The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives April 7 and referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) is the chair of the committee and previously expressed concern about the state of the college sports landscape, particularly with the impact of spending on tuition and fees.