College football and college basketball are the two sports that garner the largest coaching salaries in the NCAA. However, Division I college baseball coaches are some of the highest-paid employees at the universities, with many salaries exceeding seven figures. Below, we list the top 10 highest-paid college baseball coaches in 2023.
Top 10 Highest-Paid College Baseball Coaches 2023
In college baseball, the SEC is king. Nine of the ten coaches on the list hail from the Southeastern Conference.
Tim Corbin of Vanderbilt is the only coach on the list to make over $2 million. Since he arrived in 2003, Vandrtbilt has only missed two NCAA Tournaments in his tenure.
The last two managers to win the national championship were Mike Bianco of Ole Miss and Chris Lemonis of Mississippi State. Both coaches are in the top-7 for highest-paid college baseball coaches.
Highest-Paid College Baseball Coaches (2023):
- Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt — $2.447 million
- Mike Bianco, Ole Miss— $1.625 million
- Jim Schlossnagle, Texas A&M — $1.58 million
- Tony Vitello, Tennessee— $1.5 million
- Dave Van Horn, Arkansas — $1.35 million
- Kevin O’Sullivan, Florida — $1.29 million
- Chris Lemonis, Mississippi State— $1.27 million
- Jay Johnson, LSU — $1.25 million
- Butch Thompson, Auburn — $1.25 million
- Dan McDonnell, Louisville — $1.2 Million
10. Dan McDonnell, Louisville — $1.2 Million
The only coach on the list who stems from a conference other than SEC is Louisville’s Dan McDonnell of the ACC. McDonnell has been at the helm for Louisville since 2007.
In 17 seasons, McDonnell has a career record of 702-289-1. McDonnell’s team has only missed the playoffs in four seasons. McDonnell has been to the College World Series five times, with the most recent appearance in 2019.
McDonnell’s salary is $1.2 million, but there has been tension between him and Louisville which may lead him to seek another job.
9. Butch Thompson, Auburn — $1.25 million
LET’S RUN IT BACK! 🙌
The #RoadToOmaha begins at 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history!
📰 » https://t.co/Rh7Pi7tVz0#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/7aLHkdzRLl
— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) May 29, 2023
Butch Thompson took over Auburn in 2016 after serving as an assistant at Mississippi State, Auburn, and Georgia.
After going 23-33 in his first season, Auburn made the NCAA Tournament the next season, spurning a run of four postseason appearances in the next five seasons.
Thompson’s best season came in 2022 when Auburn reached the second round of the College World Series before falling in the second round to Arkansas. Thompson owns a career record of 256–185-1.
Thompson signed an extension in 2018, and his salary for 2023 was $1.25 million.
8. Jay Johnson, LSU — $1.25 million
Jay Johnson arrived in 2022 after leaving Arizona, where he served as the head coach for six seasons. Johnson signed a five-year deal worth $6.5 million.
In Johnson’s first year at LSU, the Tigers went 40-22 and made the NCAA Tournament. He followed that up with a 43-12 record in 2023. Johnson owns a career record of 400–208.
At Arizona, Johnson’s Wildcats made two trips to the College World Series, finishing as the national runner-up in 2016. Johnson also coached at Nevada and Point Loma Nazarene.
7. Chris Lemonis, Mississippi State— $1.27 million
Chris Lemonis has been the head coach of Mississippi State since 2019. In five seasons, Lemonis has led the Bulldogs to the College World Series twice.
In 2021, Lemonis and Mississippi State won the College World Series, the first national championship in school history. After the season, Lemonis signed a long-term extension that pays him $1.25 million in 2022, including a $25,000 increase each year.
Before Mississippi State, Lemonis coached the Indiana Hoosiers from 2015-2018. Lemonis’s overall record as a head coach is 308–184–2.
6. Kevin O’Sullivan, Florida — $1.29 million
National Power 🔋📈#GoGators pic.twitter.com/9KoYCHSIQX
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 30, 2023
Kevin O’Sullivan is one of the most successful coaches in Division I. O’Sullivan has been the head coach of the Florida Gators since 2008.
O’Sullivan’s teams have never missed the NCAA Tournament during his tenure. In 2017, O’Sullivan led the Gators to their first national championship in school history. Overall, O’Sullivan has led Florida to the College World Series seven times.
O’Sullivan is the winningest coach in Flordia’s history, with an overall record of 671–316. In 2016, O’Sullivan signed a 10-year, $12.5 million contract. In 2023, O’Sullivan made an estimated $1.29 million
5. Dave Van Horn, Arkansas — $1.35 million
Dave Van Horn has been a staple at Arkansas, dating back to his days as a player in 1989. Van Horn was hired as the Arkansas head coach in 2003 after spending five seasons as the coach of Nebraska.
During Van Horn’s tenure, Arkansas has made seven College World Series appearances, culminating with a runner-up finish in 2018. Besides Arkansas and Nebraska, Van Horn coached at Northwestern State, Central Missouri, and Texarkana. Van Horn won the Division II national championship with Central Missouri.
Van Horn holds a career record of 1,208–606. Van Horn signed an extension in May 2023, with a base salary of $1.25 million.
4. Tony Vitello, Tennessee— $1.5 million
Tony Vitello was hired to be the coach of Tennessee in 2018. Vitello has made the NCAA Tournament three times, making the College World Series in 2021.
After the College World Series appearance, Vitello signed a contract extension in 2021, making $1.5 million annually.
Vitello has an overall record of 229–96.
3. Jim Schlossnagle, Texas A&M — $1.58 million
Jim Schlossnagle has been a Division I baseball head coach since 2002. After two seasons at UNLV, Schlossnagle was hired to coach TCU in 2004.
Schlossnagle’s Horned Frogs made the NCAA Tournament in 14 of 16 seasons, making the College World Series five times, including four straight appearances from 2014-2017. Schlossnagle owns over 800 wins as a head coach.
In 2021, Schlossnagle signed a contract to become the Texas A&M head coach. Schlossnagle makes $1.41 million per year.
2. Mike Bianco, Ole Miss— $1.625 million
Full term sheet for Mike Bianco’s new contract. Safe to say he’ll be the head coach of @OleMissBSB for a long time. pic.twitter.com/LDYgQfXDHy
— Richard Cross (@RichardCrossSTM) August 10, 2022
Mike Bianco has been the head coach at Ole Miss since 2001. In his first season, Bianco led Ole Miss to the Super Regional.
Before the 2022 season, Bianco only made the College World Series once in 2014. However, that changed in 2022 when Ole Miss won their first national championship in school history.
Bianco previously served as the head coach at McNeese State from 1998-2000. Bianco’s overall record is 979–585–1.
After winning the championship in 2022, Bianco signed a four-year contract with a base salary of $1.625 million.
1. Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt — $2.447 million
The highest-paid coach in college baseball is Vanderbilts’s Tim Corbin. Since Corbin became the head coach in 2003, Vanderbilt has become a model program in college baseball, making five College World Series appearances.
Corbin’s teams have won the national championship in 2014 and 2019. Corbin’s overall record stands at 882–418–1.
In 2023, Corbin made over $2 million, the only coach in Division I men’s baseball to eclipse that mark.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
