There’s a very different type of unexpected gold rush going on in Alabama.

According to a report based on comprehensive salary data obtained by AL.com, no fewer than nine high school football coaches in the state of Alabama are currently paid more than $100,000 per season. The highest-compensated head man in the state hails from a familiar school, with Hoover coach Josh Niblett paid $125,000 per season following a raise of more than $10,500 earlier in April.

While Niblett recognized that he was well compensated, he also insists that there is a significant difference between the role he serves as a coach and teacher and the one fulfilled by coaches in other states who are paid even higher rates without needing to enter the classroom.

That may be a valid point, but it does little to dim the shine of the pay packet offered to Niblett and a select group of his Alabama colleagues. As one might expect, the discrepancy between the highest and lowest paid coaches is significant: More than 110 coaches in the state are paid less than $60,000 per season.

One of Niblett’s notable peers is a former Arkansas high school coach, Josh Floyd, who was hired by Hewitt-Trussville with a salary of $120,000. Floyd was hired in summer 2014 and finished with a record of 5-6 in his inaugural season. He was much more successful in Arkansas, where he transformed Shiloh Christian School into a state power, earning four state titles in the process.

“Being the highest-paid coach in the state is not something you think about on a day-to-day basis,” Floyd told AL.com. “You don’t have any time. All you have the time to think about is just building the best football program you possibly can.”