It was already known that Oklahoma paid a pretty penny to get Jim Nagy as its general manager this offseason, but considering it’s a relatively brand new position in college football, there was no way of knowing if the penny the Sooners paid was shinier than what other college football programs had to fork over for their GM. Now fans know how it compares, though.
USA Today on Thursday released its first database of salaries for general managers or employees with a similar front-office role throughout college football. According to USA Today, with his reported 2025-26 salary of $750,000, Nagy is the eighth-highest paid general manager in college football and third in the SEC.
Jim Nagy one of highest-paid GMs in SEC
The actual value OU and other universities are getting from this investment is still to be determined, but it’s already clear North Carolina is definitely not getting any bang for its buck out of general manager Michael Lombardi, who is the highest-paid GM in the country and only one over the million-dollar threshold at $1,510,000. He was part of the disastrous deal to bring in head coach Bill Belichick.
Alabama’s Courtney Morgan is the richest GM in the SEC at $825,000, followed by LSU’s Austin Thomas ($800,000) and Nagy. Texas’ Brandon Harris is after Nagy in the conference at $600,000. That’s at least according to the numbers reported to USA Today, which did not include Georgia, Florida and Vanderbilt.
The first @usatodaysports survey of Power Four conference football GM/front office staff is up and running. There are at least 13 such employees making $500,000 or more: https://t.co/Hwlnyb4RGh pic.twitter.com/LbgxBxLIMW
— Steve Berkowitz (@ByBerkowitz) October 23, 2025
All of these positions are new, especially Nagy, who was hired in February. So far, the only finished product fans have seen from Nagy was the Sooners’ spring transfer class, which included OL Jake Maikkula (Stanford), RB Jaydn Ott (Cal), DT Ricky Lolohea (Utah State), K Tate Sandell (UTSA), WR Jer'Michael Carter (McNeese State) and QB Whitt Newbauer (Mercer).
Ott has earned Nagy a load of criticism as a bust, but Maikkula has become the Sooners’ starting center and Sandell has been a reliable kicker. It was also slim pickings during the spring.
Winning plays a major factor with the Sooners at 6-1, but OU’s 2027 recruiting class is also off to a stellar start as the first Nagy has fully had his hand in. It’s currently No. 1 in the country with five early commitments, including two five-star offensive linemen.
Nagy signed a reported three-year deal worth $2.55 million with OU. His salary increases by $100,000 each year of the contract. Many other general managers, according to USA Today, also had possible bonuses that could be earned, but Nagy did not have any reported, and his buyout was also not listed.