The Denver Gazette

Saban’s new deal worth at least $84.8M over 8 years

The Associated Press

TUSCALOOSA, ALA. • Alabama coach Nick Saban will make $11.5 million in the final year under a new eight-year contract that’s worth at least $84.8 million.

The university released details Monday of Saban’s previously announced deal, after the board of trustees’ compensation committee formally approved it.

Saban, who has won a record seven national championships, is set to make $8.7 million this year with annual raises of $400,000. That includes a $275,000 base salary and $8.425 million in personal service, or talent, fees.

Saban, who turns 70 on Oct. 31, also can receive an $800,000 completion bonus each Feb. 28 through 2026 totaling up to $4 million. His pay, not counting bonuses, in 202829 would be $11.5 million.

Saban was scheduled to make $9.3 million last year, which kept him as college football’s highest-paid coach, according to USA Today’s database of college football salaries. LSU’s Ed Orgeron, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh also topped $8 million, according to the database.

Alabama is coming off another national championship season, including the second perfect record under Saban. His record seventh national title — including a BCS crown at LSU in the 2003 season — broke a tie with former Alabama coach Bear Bryant among FBS coaches.

Top QB recruit to skip senior year of high school, join Ohio State

Quinn Ewers, considered the top quarterback prospect in the class of 2022, said he is skipping his senior year of high school in Texas and plans to enroll at Ohio State for the upcoming semester.

In a Twitter post, Ewers explained he would soon be completing the course necessary to graduate from Southlake Carroll High School outside Dallas.

The five-star recruit said his decision was influenced by Texas rules which prohibit high school athletes from earning money from endorsement and sponsorship deals. Last month, the NCAA lifted its long-time ban on athletes being compensated for their names, images and likenesses.

Ewers said his preference would be to “complete my senior season at Southlake Carroll along with teammates and friends I’ve taken the field alongside the past three years.”

“However, following conversations with my family and those I know have my best interests in mind, I’ve decided it’s time for me to enroll at Ohio State and begin my career as a Buckeye,” he wrote.

Ewers’ parents told Yahoo! Sports that their son has several potential deals lined up, including one that could land him equity in a company that makes kombucha, but a Texas law aimed at giving college athletes NIL rights prevents high school athletes from doing so.

Ewers is one of the most highly rated players in next year’s signing class. He initially committed to Texas last year but then flipped to Ohio State.

“This is not just a financial decision; this is about what’s best for my football career,” Ewers said. “At 18, and with one final class about to be complete to earn my high-school degree, I feel it’s time to get the jump on my college career that is available to me.”

At Ohio State, Ewers would step in late to an ongoing competition to replace firstround draft pick Justin Fields this year in Columbus.

The Buckeyes have three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, but none of them have thrown a college pass. CJ Stroud and Jack Miller are going into their second seasons with the Buckeyes. Kyle McCord is a class of 2021 signee.

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2021-08-03T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-08-03T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://daily.denvergazette.com/article/282110639653380

The Gazette, Colorado Springs