Fired college football coaches bank more than $118 MILLION in buyouts to break record set in 2021 as outgoing Jimbo Fisher leads all with his $75m golden parachute from Texas A&M
- Indiana will give fired coach Tom Allen $15.5 million after his firing
- Ohio State’s Ryan Day could be next, with a potential $46 million buyout
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It’s never been a better time to be a fired college football coach.
With Tom Allen’s $15.5 million golden parachute following his dismissal from Indiana, college football coaches will now “earn” more than $118 million in buyouts, the paper said. Yahoo Sports.
That figure surpasses the record of $94 million set in 2021, when LSU fired Ed Oregon, who then received a $17.1 million buyout.
But that figure definitely pales in comparison to the whopping $75 million Jimbo Fisher will receive after being fired by Texas A&M.
Aggies athletic director Ross Bjork said unrestricted contributions within the donor-backed 12th Man Foundation would be used to make an initial payment of $19 million to Fisher within 60 days and the remainder would be paid with athletic department funds.
Jimbo Fisher no longer has a team to coach, but he still has $75 million waiting for him
Tom Allen has every reason to smile after leaving Bloomington with a $15 million buyout
Outgoing Syracuse coach Dino Babers is reportedly getting a $4 million buyout from the Orange
Next on that list could be Ohio State’s Ryan Day, who is rumored to be in a good spot after falling to Michigan for the third consecutive season.
If Day were fired by the Buckeyes, Day would owe $46 million to Ohio State, according to The Associated Press.
Other lucrative buyouts this season included Houston’s Dana Holgorsen, who got $14.8 million after leading the Cougars to a 4-8 finish, while Mississippi State’s Zach Arnett gets $4.5 million after a 5- 7 campaign.
Fired Syracuse coach Dino Babers will reportedly get $4 million, while outgoing Boise State coach Andy Avalos will receive $3 million.
If Ohio State is ready to move on from Ryan Day, it will cost the school $46 million
And if you think that’s generous, take a look at the other lucrative buyouts found in top coaching contracts everywhere:
Kirby Smart, Georgia, $92.5 million
- Contract expires in 2031.
- His predecessor, Mark Richt, had a $4.1 million buyout in 2015.
Brian Kelly, LSU, $70 million
- Contract expires in 2031.
- His predecessor, Ed Orgeron, had a $16.9 million buyout in 2021.
James Franklin, Penn State, $64.5 million
- Contract expires in 2031.
- He would owe Penn State $6 million if he left for the NFL this year.
As if Georgia didn’t have enough reasons to keep Smart, firing him will cost the school $92.5 million
Dabo Swinney, Clemson, $64 million
- Contract expires in 2031.
- If Swinney were to take another job this year, he would owe Clemson $5 million. If that job was Alabama, where he was a walk-on, he would be owed $7.5 million.
Matt Rhule, Nebraska, $62 million
- Contract expires in 2031, signed in 2022.
- Nebraska only had to pay 90% of the remaining contract value.
- His predecessor, Scott Frost, had a $15 million buyout in 2022.
Mark Stoops, Kentucky, $51 million
- Contract expires in 2031.
- Kentucky only had to pay 75% of the remaining contract value.
- Its predecessor, Joker Phillips, had a $2.5 million buyout in 2012.
Saban isn’t in the top spot in Tuscaloosa, but if he were fired, Alabama would owe him $45 million
Josh Heupel, Tennessee, $46.5 million
- Contract expires in 2029, signed in 2023.
- Tennessee paid buyouts of $12.6 million to Jeremy Pruitt in 2020 and $8.3 million to Butch Jones in 2017.
Nick Saban, Alabama, $45 million
- Contract expires in 2030, signed in 2021.
- Alabama would owe Saban 48 months of wages if he were fired, or for the remaining number of months if the contract expires within four years of the contract’s expiration.
Dan Lanning, Oregon, $44 million
- Contract expires in 2028, signed in 2023.
- An NFL team or other school would have to pay Oregon $20 million to hire him at any point during the contract term.