Penn State wrestling fans would agree that Cael Sanderson is underpaid.
This would be true if the coach were working for free or if he were making nine figures.
He’s just that good at his job.
Up until now, the public didn’t know how much Sanderson made. But Penn State has released financial documents to give us a better idea.
These documents reveal that Sanderson made $1,017,300 over the last fiscal year, which started July 1, 2023 and ended June 30, 2024.
At the start of the fiscal year, Penn State had just won its 10th national title in the previous 12 seasons, all under Sanderson’s watch.
By the end of the fiscal year, Sanderson and Penn State had made it 11 of 13, and now it’s 12 of 14.
To say Cael is worth every penny would be like saying Wilt Chamberlin merely “liked the ladies.”
IS HE THE HIGHEST PAID?
Photo by Penn State Wrestling: Cael Sanderson and Carter Starocci
There’s not a 100% concrete answer as to whether Sanderson is the highest paid coach in the country but there’s a good chance that he is, and there’s a good chance that the guy closest to him is one of his greatest wrestlers. David Taylor, who won two Hodge Trophies for Sanderson and Penn State, is now making more than $1 million a year as Oklahoma State’s head coach. But Sanderson had been making that during the last fiscal year and all signs point to him making more than Taylor, assuming there are performance incentives.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.From what the report says, here’s a breakdown of Sanderson’s contract.
Base salary: $315,177
Bonus and incentive compensation: $649,278
Retirement and other deferred compensation: $30,657
Nontaxable benefits: $22,188
Total: $1,017,300
ELSEWHERE
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now
Elsewhere on the list, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that football coach James Franklin is the university’s highest-paid employee, making $8,628,807 over the last fiscal year. What might be a little more surprising is that an offensive coordinator Franklin fired, Mike Yurcich, made $1,274,881.
Sanderson is Penn State’s seventh-highest paid employee.
