2025 College Football General Manager Salaries Highlight Significant SEC Investments

The general manager (GM) role in college football, a relatively new but increasingly important position, has emerged due to the complexities introduced by NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) rights and the transfer portal, requiring dedicated executives to manage player acquisition and retention effectively. According to USA Today's salary database, Jim Nagy of the Oklahoma Sooners is the eighth-highest paid GM nationally and third in the SEC, earning $750,000, while the highest-paid GM is Michael Lombardi at North Carolina, earning over $1.5 million, though his performance has been widely criticized. Other top SEC GMs include Alabama's Courtney Morgan at $825,000 and LSU's Austin Thomas at $800,000, with some questioning the value provided by these investments given team performances. The evolving landscape has led many programs to create these front-office roles traditionally seen in professional sports to support head coaches focused on building team culture and on-field success. However, some GMs are underperforming relative to their high salaries, sparking debate about the return on investment for these administrative hires. Data collection on GM salaries remains incomplete as several schools, including Georgia, have not disclosed full compensation details, highlighting a continuing challenge in transparency across college football programs.