Coaches one position group or unit for a university football program, teaching technique, building game plans, and recruiting players to the school. USA TODAY NCAA Football Assistant Coaches Salary Database 2024 puts typical pay at $285,000 a year (2024). BLS does not publish separate figures for coaches and scouts; it counts them within coach and scout (SOC 27-2022), whose median pay is $47,320 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 27-2022
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
College Football Assistant Coach in four numbers
- Median pay
- $47,320a yearBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $29KTop 10% $99K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +6.1%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+6.1%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +6.1% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 36,400298,800 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025298.8K
- Projected 2035316.9K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 298.8K Projected 2035 316.9K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school3.7%
- High school8.9%
- Associate's17.4%
- Bachelor's48.9%
- Master's19.4%
- Doctorate1.8%
Highest education held by coaches and scouts Segment Value Less than high school 3.7% High school 8.9% Associate's 17.4% Bachelor's 48.9% Master's 19.4% Doctorate 1.8%
Also advertised as: Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator, Position Coach, Special Teams Coordinator, Assistant Football Coach.
Pay
How much do Coaches and Scouts make?
Industry-reported pay
$285,000
Median total annual pay of FBS assistant football coaches with disclosed pay (1,107 coaches, mostly public universities; coordinators and position coaches); low is the 25th percentile, high the 90th.
- Entry level
- $145,000
- Top earners
- $850,000
Source: USA TODAY NCAA Football Assistant Coaches Salary Database 2024, 2024 (published pay scale or filing). This is not a BLS figure: BLS counts coaches and scouts within coach and scout, whose pay is shown below. USA TODAY NCAA Football Assistant Coach Salaries
Every college football assistant coach in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$47,320
Middle half earn $35,330 to $64,710
- 10th
- $28,790
- 25th
- $35,330
- 75th
- $64,710
- 90th
- $98,860
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $28,790 |
| 25th | $35,330 |
| Median | $47,320 |
| 75th | $64,710 |
| 90th | $98,860 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $47,320
- Median hourly wage
- N/A
- Mean annual wage
- $60,160
- People employed
- 248,950
Versus all US occupations
At $47,320, Coaches and Scouts earn 7% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $3,660 a year.
Versus arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations
Inside the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media group, where the middle occupation pays $68,060, this is 30% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $98,860 or more while the bottom 10% earn $28,790, a gap of 3.4×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 16% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
New Jersey pays the most at $76,700, and still leads at $70,493 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Coaches and Scouts the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1New Jersey | $76,700 | $70,493 | 5,670 |
| 2District of Columbia | $65,360 | $59,472 | 630 |
| 3Louisiana | $60,960 | $69,110 | 2,550 |
| 4Vermont | $59,990 | $61,241 | 630 |
| 5New York | $59,920 | $55,522 | 11,220 |
| 6Hawaii | $55,860 | $50,804 | 760 |
| 7Massachusetts | $55,130 | $52,129 | 6,310 |
| 8Connecticut | $54,790 | $52,881 | 4,070 |
| 9Rhode Island | $53,630 | $52,434 | 1,170 |
| 10Arizona | $53,130 | $52,773 | 4,120 |
Job outlook
Is College Football Assistant Coach a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +6.1% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Coaches and Scouts | +6.1% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Coaches and Scouts to change 6.1% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 18,100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 36,400 openings are projected each year, 12.2% of the 298,800 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a College Football Assistant Coach
Most assistant coaches have a bachelor's degree, and many played college football. The common entry points are graduate assistant jobs, which pay for a master's degree while you coach, and quality control or analyst roles. From there coaches move to position coach, then coordinator, often changing schools several times along the way. Some come from successful high school programs or NFL staffs.
NCAA rules limit how many full-time assistants a program can carry, and every coach who recruits off campus must pass the NCAA's annual recruiting certification. The American Football Coaches Association offers clinics, a code of ethics, and networking that helps assistants move up.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as coaches and scouts.
- Bachelor's Degree48.9%
- Master's Degree19.4%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree17.4%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)8.9%
- Less than a High School Diploma3.7%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 48.9% |
| Master's Degree | 19.4% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 17.4% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 8.9% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 3.7% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a College Football Assistant Coach do?
Assistant coaches carry most of the day-to-day teaching in a college football program. Each one owns a position group, such as quarterbacks, offensive line, or defensive backs, and the coordinators among them design the offensive, defensive, or special teams scheme and call plays on game day. They break down film, write the weekly game plan for their unit, run position meetings and drills, and correct technique rep by rep.
Assistants are also the program's main recruiters. Each is usually assigned a region or set of high schools and spends evaluation periods watching prospects, building relationships with players, families, and high school coaches, and tracking players in the transfer portal. They report to the head coach and work closely with analysts, strength staff, and academic advisors.
Day-to-day tasks
- Teach technique and assignments to an assigned position group
- Design schemes and call plays as an offensive, defensive, or special teams coordinator
- Break down film of opponents and of their own players
- Write weekly game plans and practice scripts for their unit
- Recruit high school and transfer players in an assigned territory
- Build relationships with prospects, families, and high school coaches
- Monitor players' academic standing, health, and conduct
- Follow NCAA recruiting and practice rules
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Assistants work long hours in the team facility during the season, with early meetings, afternoon practice, and late film sessions, then travel for road games and recruiting. Contracts are often short, and when a head coach is fired the staff usually goes too, so relocating is part of the job.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Speaking4.4
- Learning Strategies4.1
- Monitoring4.1
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Active Learning3.9
- Writing3.6
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Speaking | 4.4 |
| Learning Strategies | 4.1 |
| Monitoring | 4.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 |
| Active Listening | 4.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 |
| Active Learning | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Instructing4.8
- Social Perceptiveness4.0
- Judgment and Decision Making4.0
- Coordination3.9
- Persuasion3.9
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Systems Analysis3.9
- Time Management3.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Instructing | 4.8 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.0 |
| Coordination | 3.9 |
| Persuasion | 3.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.9 |
| Time Management | 3.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web page creation and editing software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software
- Computer based training software
- Data base user interface and query software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a College Football Assistant Coach?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code SER) built on O*NET's Coach and Scout profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | College Football Assistant Coach |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 4 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 6 |
| Enterprising | 5 |
| Conventional | 3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
- Social5.5
- Enterprising5.2
- Realistic4.4
- Conventional3.5
- Artistic2.4
- Investigative2.1
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
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More arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media careers
Median annual pay, with coaches and scouts highlighted
- Art Director$114,850
- Technical Writer$90,390
- Editor$77,920
- Writer and Author$76,910
- Public Relations Specialist$74,750
- Interior Designer$67,190
- Graphic Designer$62,960
- College Football Assistant Coach$47,320
- Photographer$44,660
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Art Director | $114,850 |
| Technical Writer | $90,390 |
| Editor | $77,920 |
| Writer and Author | $76,910 |
| Public Relations Specialist | $74,750 |
| Interior Designer | $67,190 |
| Graphic Designer | $62,960 |
| College Football Assistant Coach | $47,320 |
| Photographer | $44,660 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists College Football Assistant Coach appears on
Questions
College Football Assistant Coach: frequently asked questions
How much do Coaches and Scouts make?
USA TODAY NCAA Football Assistant Coaches Salary Database 2024 reports $285,000 (median total annual pay of FBS assistant football coaches with disclosed pay (1,107 coaches, mostly public universities; coordinators and position coaches); low is the 25th percentile, high the 90th, 2024), with top earners around $850,000. BLS does not publish a separate wage for coaches and scouts. It counts them within coach and scout, whose median pay is $47,320 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $35,330 and $64,710, and the top 10% earn $98,860 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a College Football Assistant Coach?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Coaches and Scouts, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 48.9% hold bachelor's degree.
Is College Football Assistant Coach a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6.1% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 36,400 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a College Football Assistant Coach do?
Assistant coaches carry most of the day-to-day teaching in a college football program. A typical task: teach technique and assignments to an assigned position group. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Object or component oriented development software, Office suite software.
Which states pay Coaches and Scouts the most?
The highest state medians for Coaches and Scouts are New Jersey ($76,700), District of Columbia ($65,360), Louisiana ($60,960) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a College Football Assistant Coach?
O*NET scores Coaches and Scouts highest on the Social, Enterprising and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESFJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.