Auburn locked in Bruce Pearl “for life” last January by signing the beloved head coach to an eight-year contract extension that would not only keep him on the Plains through the end of the decade, but ensured he would be one of the most well-compensated coaches in college basketball.

As the first year of that lucrative new deal winds down, we now know precisely where Pearl’s contract puts him among the rest of his peers in the SEC and across the country. USA Today on Wednesday released its annual database of men’s basketball coaching salaries, and Pearl’s salary for the 2022-23 season puts him among the top-five highest-paid coaches in the country this year.

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Pearl earned $5,449,152 in the first year of his eight-year, $50.2 million contract that runs through the 2029-30 season. That was the fifth-highest salary in the country this season and the third-highest among coaches in the SEC.

Kentucky’s John Calipari is the nation’s highest-paid coach, earning $8,533,483 from the Wildcats. Calipari’s salary puts him in another stratosphere among college coaches, as no other coach’s total compensation exceeds $6 million annually. The next-closest coach is Kansas’ Bill Self, who is being paid $5,963,800 this season. Third is Michigan State coach Tom Izzo at $5,738,727, followed by Tennessee coach Rick Barnes at $5,450,000.

Pearl rounds out the top-five, earning just $848 less than Barnes this season.

The database also notes that Pearl earned $250,000 in bonuses last season, which was one of the most successful for Auburn in program history. Last year the Tigers climbed to No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time ever, had a pair of All-Americans, the National Freshman of the Year and National Defensive Player of the Year, won the SEC regular-season title and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This season hasn’t been as historic, as Pearl’s team has endured some tough stretches but is still poised for another NCAA Tournament appearance. The Tigers are 20-11 this season, marking back-to-back 20-win seasons for Pearl and the fifth such campaign for the program in the last six seasons.

Auburn earned the No. 7 seed in this week’s SEC Tournament and will open play Thursday night against 10th-seeded Arkansas.

While Pearl’s salary this season was just below $5.5 million, that number will increase over the course of his deal. He will earn $7.15 million in the final year of the contract, while his average annual salary over the duration of the season will be $6.275 million.

According to the USA Today database, Pearl’s buyout as of April 1 is $17,450,000, which is the ninth-highest in the nation and fourth-highest among SEC coaches. Calipari’s contract features the largest buyout figure ($41,343,750), while Alabama coach Nate Oats’ buyout of $29,812,500 is third nationally and second in the league. Barnes has a buyout figure of $23,854,167, which is fifth nationally and third among SEC coaches.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.