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It pays to be a coach at one of Oklahoma's two largest universities. In some cases, it pays to be a former coach at either the University of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State University.
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College sports coaches dominate the state's highest 20 salaries, far outnumbering university health science professionals and administrative leadership. But several people on top of that list still receiving paychecks don't work for university athletics programs anymore, 2025 Oklahoma payroll data aggregated by Open the Books, a non-partisan organization, shows.
Oklahoma's highest-paid state employee, former OSU football coach Mike Gundy, made nearly $400,000 in April 2026. OSU fired Gundy last year after a rough start to the 2025 football season. Gundy's contract was scheduled to run through Dec. 31, 2028, paying him $6.875 million for the 2025 season, with an annual raise of $125,000 each year. After being fired before the end of that contract, the buyout he was owed was $15 million. The buyout was to be paid in monthly installments, according to The New York Times.
Similarly, former OSU men's basketball coach Mike Boynton and former OU football offensive coordinator Seth Littrell haven't worked for their universities since 2024 but received over a million dollars in 2025. After two years as an assistant, Boynton is now the interim men's basketball coach at the University of Michigan, while Littrell is on the football staff at the University of Tennessee under head coach Josh Heupel, who quarterbacked the Sooners to a national championship in 2000.
OU and OSU parted ways with these coaches before their contracts ended, leaving millions to be paid as new coaches replaced them. The decision to cycle them out came after streaks of poor team performance.
Now, these coaches' salaries exceed high-ranking state bureaucratic and elected officials, including Gov. Kevin Stitt, who made $147,000 in 2025. Gundy made $6.3 million in the same year, over 40-fold what Stitt and Oklahoma state commissioners make.
However, neither OSU nor OU's athletics programs receive any taxpayer dollars, according to the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database. Instead, funds to pay these coaches are accrued primarily from donor contributions, ticket sales and NCAA funds.
"In setting the funding targets for program support and coaching salaries, the department conducts a comprehensive assessment centered around competitive, operational and strategic priorities," said Mike Houck, a spokesman for OU Athletics. "This process always includes benchmarking peer institutions within the SEC and across the NCAA.”
Universities receive state funding for other programs through a combination of state funding, tuition, sales, and endowed chair donations. OU's 2026 fiscal year budget shows only 22% of its Norman campus revenue came from the state.
Former state Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, who served as chair of the Appropriations and Budget on Education Committee, would meet with university leaders to discuss budget needs each year. During those conversations, McBride says state funding for athletics programs didn't arise because the funds he dealt with didn't go to them.
"I know we're extremely competitive in football, wrestling, gymnastics, basketball, you name it," McBride said. "And some of those coaches may be being paid a lot of money, but I think it's kind of a market-based deal — that was their decision."
Payouts from terminated contracts, including Gundy and Boynton, are funded through donors, tickets, and other means, not state dollars.
When it came to other university concerns, McBride said he didn't encounter insurmountable issues to passing education appropriations, such as his deferred maintenance bill.
"When I took over as appropriations chair for education, I really didn't have much problem for funding," McBride said. "I think while I was there, they were tickled to death."
Who are Oklahoma's highest paid state employees?
Below are the state's highest paid employees, their position and respective state agency, and their 2025 salary based on aggregated payroll data. Individuals formerly employed by the state include their most recent paychecks.
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- Mike Gundy, former head football coach, Oklahoma State University: $6,312,500. In April, Gundy received $382,355.
- Brent Venables, head football coach, University of Oklahoma: $5,126,442
- Porter Moser, head men's basketball coach, University of Oklahoma: $2,990,384
- SteveLutz, head men's basketball coach, Oklahoma State University: $2,437,500
- Mike Boynton, former head men's basketball coach, Oklahoma State University: $1,885,227. In April, Boynton received $162,500.
- Joe Castiglione, former athletics director, University of Oklahoma: $1,779,615. In April, Castiglione received two $61,153 checks.
- Patty Gasso, head softball coach, University of Oklahoma: $1,710,961
- KayseShrum, former university president, Oklahoma State University: $1,645,000
- Rob Glass, former assistant athletic director for strength & conditioning, Oklahoma State University: $1,104,805
- Seth Littrell, former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, University of Oklahoma: $1,057,628
- David Taylor, head wrestling coach, Oklahoma State University: $1,037,499
- Jennie Baranczyk, head women's basketball coach, University of Oklahoma: $1,036,346
- Kasey Dunn, former associate head football coach and offensive coordinator, Oklahoma State University: $999,972
- Skip Johnson, head baseball coach, University of Oklahoma: $992,499
- Bill Bedenbaugh, offensive line coach, University of Oklahoma: $977,884
- Ben Arbuckle, offensive coordinator, University of Oklahoma: $967,125
- Kenny Gajewski, head softball coach, Oklahoma State University: $916,666
- K.J. Kindler, head women's gymnastics coach, University of Oklahoma: $889,230
- Dr. Robert Mannel, director of OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, associate vice provost for cancer programs, and professor of obstetrics and gynecology, University of Oklahoma: $885,799
- Dr. Stephanie Pierce, medical director of the STAR prenatal clinic at OU Health Sciences Center: $850,949
OU Health Sciences Center pays top state salaries outside college athletics
After the top 20, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center chairs, department heads and professors start making the highest state salaries. Last fiscal year, the center earmarked $207 million for faculty salaries out of a total operating budget of $1.1 billion.
Tuition, fees and state dollars provide a majority of revenue for the institution. Taxpayers contributed $84 million between the OKC and Tulsa campuses.
Who are the state's highest paid employees (that aren't coaches)?
Below are the top eight earners associated with the OU Health Sciences Center, their position, and their 2025 salary based on aggregated payroll data. This list excludes Dr. Robert Mannel and Dr. Stephanie Pierce, who were among the top 20 highest state earners.
- Barish H. Edil, John A. Schilling Endowed Chair Surgeon-in-Chief of OU Health System: $849,230
- Michael S. Cookson, professor and Chairman of the Department of Urology: $847,115
- Marvin Williams, Professor and Section Chief and Program Director, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship: $811,055
- Kathleen Moore, Deputy Director, Stephenson Cancer Center and Virginia Kerley Cade Chair in Developmental Therapeutics: $746,217
- Pankaj K. Singh, Associate Director for Basic Research, for the OU Stephenson Cancer Center: $743,507
- David C. Teague, Chair of OU Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation clinical department: $727,798
- Jerry Jaboin, professor of radiation oncology at Stephenson Cancer Center: $709,692
- Ian Dunn, Executive Dean of the College of Medicine and Chief Academic Officer, OU Health: $706,730
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU, OSU coaches make top state salaries, including those fired
