Report: The top 10 highest-paid coaches in Alabama 7A high school football
Class 7A in Alabama high school football hosts the 32 largest high schools in the Yellowhammer State, and 16 of those programs entered the 7A playoffs last weekend. Now onto the second round, just eight teams are left.
This Friday — Auburn will face Thompson, Enterprise heads to Baker, Phenix City Central and Vestavia Hills square off, and Hoover will play Opelika.
Of those eight teams, six have head coaches in the top 10 of Alabama 7A coach salaries, per AL.com .
Below are the 10 highest-paid 7A high school football head coaches in the state of Alabama.
School:Base Salary: $84,323.55 Coaching Supplement: $77,731.06 Total: $162,054.61
Mark Freeman has been the head coach at Thompson since 2015. In that time, the Warriors have racked up several state championships. This season, Thompson is 8-3 and set to play Auburn this weekend after thrashing Daphne 50-0 last Friday. The Warriors are ranked No. 3 in Alabama, according to the On3 Massey Ratings, and No. 71 in the United States.
School: Phenix City Base Salary: $62,568 Coaching Supplement: $92,532 Total: $155,100
Patrick Nix became the head coach at Central in 2020. He played quarterback for Auburn from 1992-95 and previously held the offensive coordinator job at Miami. Phenix City Central put up a whopping 70 points on James Clemens in the first round to improve to 8-2 on the year. The Red Devils, home to Miami commit Daylyn Upshaw and Alabama pledge Mal Waldrep , are the No. 5 team in the Yellowhammer State.
School: Hewitt-Trussville Total: $151,107.36
Brand new to Hewitt-Trussville, Josh Floyd led the Huskies to a playoff berth in his first season under the hood. Hewitt-Trussville was upset by Baker in the first round, but still put together an impressive 8-3 season and finished No. 7 in the Alabama high school football rankings. Recent alumni include class of 2023 prospects Hunter Osborne Rickey Gibson .
School: Auburn Base Salary: $104,755.70 Coaching Supplement: $43,813 Total: $148,588.70
Keith Etheredge took over the Auburn job heading into the 2021 season. Now with the best team in the state, the Tigers are looking to get over the Central hump for a state championship. Auburn continues to roll with a perfect record. The Tigers are undefeated and No. 1 in the state of Alabama, fresh off of a 63-27 win over Bob Jones in the first round. They will play Alabaster Thompson this weekend.
School: Vestavia Hills Base Salary: $97,841 Coaching Supplement: $47,500 Total: $145,341
Rob Evans returned to his alma mater in 2022 after serving as the defensive coordinator at Mountain Brook. Vestavia Hills is still alive in the postseason. Evans' Rebels are just 6-5 against what has been a brutal schedule. They are the No. 10 team in the state and coming off of a three-score win over Mary G. Montgomery.
School: Opelika Base Salary: $71,812 Coaching Supplement: $69,467 Total: $141,279
Head coach Bryan Moore has been suspended for Opelika's playoff game this week after he was seen on the sidelines at Hoover's round one playoff game against Fairhope last Thursday. A picture captured by Under The Lights shows Moore holding a pen and binder watching the Hoover game on the sidelines. He was also wearing a credential, which, according to WKRG's Simone Lee, was intended for Opelika student media.
School: Enterprise Base Salary: $91,423.32 Coaching Supplement: $48,534 Total: $139,957.32
Ben Blackmon was also suspended for a single game by the AHSAA for advance scouting earlier this season. A video submitted to WKRG showed Blackmon sitting beside an Enterprise assistant filming Opelika's (Ala.) game against (Ala.) ahead of Enterprise's clash with Opelika.
School: Oak Mountain Base Salary: $62,923.22 Coaching Supplement: $73,442 Total: $136,365.22
Shane McComb took over the Oak Mountain job heading into the 2023 season. The team was coming off of a 3-7 season and went 1-9 in McComb's first year. This season has seen a marked improvement with a 4-6 record. The Eagles did not make it to the Alabama high school football playoffs.
School: Albertville Base Salary: $78,493 Coaching Supplement: $48,900 Total: $127,393
Also new to his program in 2023, Bert Browne's Aggies are 0-20 in his tenure. But, he had a tall task ahead of him when he took the job. In the two years before Browne's hiring, Albertville had won just two games.
School: James Clemens Base Salary: $83,937 Coaching Supplement: $Total: $125,726.58
Chad McGehee took over as the head coach at James Clemens in 2021 after three years as the defensive coordinator at Hoover. The Jets made the postseason with a 6-4 record but fell 70-14 to Phenix City Central in the first round.
