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.

1. Mark Freeman

School: Alabaster Thompson
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.

2. Patrick Nix

School: Phenix City Central
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.

3. Josh Floyd

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 and Rickey Gibson.

4. Keith Etheredge

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.

5. Robert Evans

School: Birmingham 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.

6. Bryan Moore

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.

7. Ben Blackmon

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 Dothan (Ala.) ahead of Enterprise’s clash with Opelika.

8. Shane McComb

School: Birmingham 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.

9. Bert Browne

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.

10. Chad McGehee

School: Madison James Clemens
Base Salary: $83,937
Coaching Supplement: $41,789.58
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.