Report: Lincoln Riley's New Contract With Oklahoma Makes Him Among Top 10 Highest-Paid Coaches

Riley signed a contract extension with the Sooners on New Year's Day.

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley became one of college football's top 10 highest-paid coaches when he signed a contract extension with the Sooners New Year's Day.

According to ESPN's Jake Trotter, the University of Oklahoma regents approved Riley's new $6 million salary in 2019. Riley will also receive an annual $700,000 stay bonus for each year he decides not to leave Oklahoma. The new contract, which runs through 2024, will also add $150,000 to Riley's salary in annual bumps through the 2023 season.

If Riley stays with the Sooners past April 1, 2021, he'll get an extra $1 million.

According to USA Today, Riley's salary is the ninth-highest in college football and is $500,000 more than Texas coach Tom Herman's. Nick Saban is No. 1 on the list at $8.3 million, while Michigan's Jim Harbaugh and Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher are tied for second at $7.5 million.

Riley spent two seasons as the Sooners offensive coordinator before earning a promotion to head coach, replacing Bob Stoops ahead of the 2017 season.

In two seasons, Riley has led Oklahoma to a 24–4 record, including a 16–2 mark in Big 12 play. The Sooners have won back-to-back Big 12 conference titles and have reached the College Football Playoff semifinals in each of Riley's seasons as head coach.

Since last summer, Riley had been considered to be a highly-coveted NFL coaching candidate. Ahead of Oklahoma announcing his extension, however, Riley told reporters that he intended to remain at Norman, Okla., for the foreseeable future.

Riley also has the distinction of developing back-to-back Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.