Daniel MaderMon, December 1, 2025 at 2:33 PM UTC·17 min read14 most expensive coach buyouts in college football history, from James Franklin and Billy Napier to Jimbo Fisher originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There's a lot that goes into coaching a college football team — recruiting, team building, play-calling and more recently, NIL. But it's also a high-pressure job that comes with a high turnover rate.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementEvery year, plenty of college football coaches are fired to spark the offseason coaching carousel. But some of those moves have been far more expensive than others due to some massive contracts. Buyouts have reached tens of millions of dollars over the sport's history, as athletic directors have made the decision to pay a coach a hefty amount just to end their deal early.
Two head coach buyouts have exceeded $40 million, based on reported numbers. An additional nine coaches have been bought out for at least $15 million.
Here's a full breakdown of the most expensive head coach buyouts in college football history.
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement1. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M ($76.8 million)
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Jimbo Fisher was the head coach at Texas A&M from 2018-23, a stint that followed his eight-season run at Florida State. However, his time leading the Aggies ended in the most expensive fashion in college football history.
In November 2023, Texas A&M fired Fisher, triggering a buyout around $76 million that included $19.2 million just after the firing, then an annual $7.2 million through 2031, per ESPN.
"After very careful analysis of all the components related to Texas A&M football, I recommended to President [Mark] Welsh and then Chancellor [John] Sharp that a change in the leadership of the program was necessary in order for Aggie football to reach our full potential and they accepted my decision," Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork said in a statement at the time, per ESPN. "We appreciate Coach Fisher's time here at Texas A&M and we wish him the best in his future endeavors."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFisher had signed a new 10-year contract worth $95 million guaranteed in 2021, which was partially given out due to the potential of him leaving for LSU. In 2018, Fisher had agreed to a 10-year, $75 million deal to leave Florida and join Texas A&M.
The November 2023 move concluded Fisher's time at Texas A&M with a 45-25 overall record over six seasons. Despite a win over Mississippi State the week prior to the firing, he was let go due to a 19-15 record dating back to an Orange Bowl victory in 2020; the team did not play in the College Football Playoff under Fisher.
The 2022 Aggies had gone 5–7 after beginning the season as the AP Poll's No. 6-ranked squad. In 2023, they had a 6–4 record through 10 games under Fisher — still, he was sent packing from College Station, with a historic amount of money still heading his way, after the Aggies' national title expectations had fallen short plenty of times.
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement2. Brian Kelly, LSU ($54 million)
LSU officially parted ways with Kelly, and the resulting financial separation immediately enters the history books as one of college football’s most expensive buyouts. The massive financial cost to the university is an estimated $54 million, an astonishing amount owed to Kelly for being dismissed mid-season.
This substantial figure is a direct consequence of the 10-year, $95 million contract he signed in 2021, which guaranteed him 90% of his remaining salary through the 2031 season. This monumental buyout — the second-largest in college football history behind Fisher’s $76.8 million.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDespite leaving with a decent 34-14 overall record over three and a half seasons, Kelly ultimately failed to meet the lofty championship expectations of the LSU program. His tenure was plagued by an inability to consistently defeat top competition, evidenced by a 5-11 record against ranked opponents, capped off by an embarrassing 49-25 home loss to No. 3 Texas A&M that proved to be the final straw.
While his first season delivered an SEC West title, consecutive losses to ranked teams — and the manner of those losses, like squandering halftime leads — coupled with a failure to reach the College Football Playoff, generated a level of fan and administrative unrest that ultimately outweighed the financial commitment.
Kelly's tenure with LSU will go down as one of the more disappointing in recent college football history.
3. James Franklin, Penn State, ($49 million)
In 2014, Penn State hired James Franklin to lead its football program out of a rough era that included repercussions from the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Franklin would remain with the Nittany Lions for over a decade, but when the team fell flat following sky-high expectations in 2025, Penn State paid a reported $49 million to fire him. However, there were some caveats that reportedly kept Penn State from paying that full amount.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFranklin did successfully make Penn State an annual contender in the Big Ten once again during his tenure — after inheriting a 7-5 team in 2013 that was depleted of much talent, Franklin led the Nittany Lions to a Pinstripe Bowl victory in 2014, a 7–5 record in 2015 and an 11-3 record, with a Big Ten title, in 2016 as he was named the conference's Coach of the Year.
While Franklin signed multiple extensions in State College, including a 10-year, $75 million in 2021 that booked him through the 2031 season, Penn State plateaued after becoming nationally relevant once again. Despite
Franklin also earned a bad reputation for his team's struggles in big games, including a 1-15 record against teams ranked in the top-5 of the AP Poll and a 4-21 record against top-10 teams. From 2017-24, the Nittany Lions won at least 10 games on five occasions — yet in that period, they had just one College Football Playoff appearance, which came in 2024 when they fell to Notre Dame in the semifinals.
The breaking point for Franklin's time at Penn State was the 2025 season. After entering the season as the preseason No. 2 squad in the AP Poll, the Nittany Lions lost their "White Out" matchup to Oregon in double-overtime, then suffered defeats to two unranked opponents: UCLA and Northwestern.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith playoff chances dissipated and no ranking in the polls after investing more money into the program for 2025, Penn State fired Franklin on Oct. 12, 2025, following the Northwestern loss. That triggered a $49 million buyout, the second-highest total ever — although, according to Front Office Sports, the Nittany Lions could wind up paying a lower total by the terms of Franklin's former contract.
"Whatever new salary [Franklin] receives from his next job will offset what Penn State owes him in a buyout," Front Office Sports reported. "Penn State will only have to pay him the difference between his new salary and the amount of the buyout. If he gets another salary worth more than the terms of the buyout, Penn State owes him nothing. Franklin may even have to reimburse them if payments have already been made, the contract says."
Franklin ended his tenure with a 104–45 overall record at Penn State, with most of his losses coming in potential statement games. He then joined Virginia Tech, and according to Brandon Marcello, he negotiated his buyout with Penn State down to $9 million around that time.
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement4. Mark Stoops, Kentucky ($37 million)
Mark StoopsStoops spent over a decade at Kentucky, leading the Wildcats to 82 wins in that span, the most ever by a Kentucky head coach. That includes two 10-win seasons, which is the same number as every other Kentucky head coach combined since 1915.
After the 2022 season, which was Kentucky's fifth winning season in six years, Stoops received an extension through 2031. However, since then, Stoops and the Wildcats won just 16 games over the next three seasons, including a 9-15 record in his final two season.
Therefore, after a 5-7 season in 2025, Kentucky decided to pay Stoops' buyout and move on from him as their head coach. As a result, Stoops' buyout was worth 75 percent of his remaining salary, which added up to $37.7 million, according to ESPN.
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5. Jonathan Smith, Michigan State ($33 million)
It was announced that Smith was being fired by Michigan State on Sunday, November 30, 2025. He had only been with the program for two years, but it was enough time for the Spartans to decide they didn't have the right coach.
Smith took over in 2024 for Mel Tucker, who was with the program from 2020 to 2024. Tucker was fired after going 18-14 with the program, but his cause for termination came from sexual allegations off the field.
Smith began his tenure with three straight wins in the 2024 season. Michigan State finished the season 5-7 and went 3-6 in the Big Ten. In 2025, Michigan State again started the season with three consecutive wins. The Spartans then lost eight games in a row before ending their season with a 38-28 win over Maryland. Michigan State finished 4-8 and went 1-8 in the conference. Smith finished his tenure with a combined 9-15 record, going 4-15 in conference games.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement6. Gus Malzahn, Auburn ($21.5 million)
Gus Malzahn was Auburn's offensive coordinator from 2008-11, and he then made a return to the Tigers as head coach in 2012 following a one-year stint leading Arkansas State.
The Tigers quickly had some highlights under Malzahn, from the famous "Kick Six" win over Alabama in 2013 to that year's SEC title, with Malzahn virtually sweeping the Coach of the Year awards across college football in 2013 for his 12-2 debut year at Auburn, which lost to Florida State in the BCS Championship Game. However, the Tigers never quite reached those heights again.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAuburn had a winning record in all eight of Malzahn's seasons as head coach, including a 10-4 record in 2017 with two No. 1 upsets with an eventual Peach Bowl loss. He signed a seven-year, $49 million extension following the 2017 season.
However, in 2020, the Tigers opted to move on from Malzahn following a 6-4 campaign, their fewest wins under the head coach yet. Despite the high-points in 2013 and 2017, Auburn couldn't break through as a top-tier team once again, leading the program to fire Malzahn in December 2020 even though he had eight-straight winning seasons.
He finished with a 68–35 record, and Auburn had to pay around $21.5 million to move on from Malzahn.
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement7. Billy Napier, Florida ($21 million)
Billy Napier joined James Franklin among the college football coaches to see an expensive exit from their respective program during the 2025 season. On Oct. 19, 2025, Florida officially parted ways with Napier after a 3-4 start to the season.
Napier's time in Gainesville ended with a 22-23 overall record, failing to get the Gators over the hump and make a return to national prominence. He was making around $7.4 million annually on the contract he signed with the program in November 2021.
As the successor to Dan Mullen, Napier spent 3.5 seasons at Florida, only one of which resulted in a winning record (2024). His Gators team lost in the Las Vegas Bowl in the 2022 season, then won the Gasparilla Bowl in the 2024 campaign.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPer The Athletic, Napier's exit at Florida included a buyout of "about" $21 million, half of which had to be paid out in the following 30 days.
8. Charlie Weis, Notre Dame ($19.0 million)
Charlie Weis, with most of his coaching experience coming in the NFL, became Notre Dame's head coach in 2005 as an alumnus of the school. He'd last five seasons after signing an initial six-year contract worth a reported $2 million per year.
The Fighting Irish had two strong seasons to open Weis' tenure. In 2005, they went 9-3 with a loss in the Fiesta Bowl led by quarterback Brady Quinn and junior wide receiver Jeff Samardzija, who would later build a long MLB career as a pitcher. Weis won the 2005 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, and Notre Dame rewarded him quickly with a new 10-year deal worth a reported $30-40 million in total.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementInitially, that quick extension looked to pay off, as Notre Dame went 10–2 in 2006 with a Sugar Bowl loss to LSU. While that was somewhat disappointing as the preseason No. 2-ranked squad, 2005-06 marked the Irish's first consecutive seasons with nine-plus wins since 1992-93.
A downward spiral began in 2007, when Notre Dame won just three games. Weis was given two more seasons to get the program back on track, but after a 7-6 record in 2008 and a 6-6 record in 2009, the Irish fired Weis in November 2009.
That led to his reported $19 million buyout, which was paid over six years.
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement9. Willie Taggart, Florida State ($18.0 million)
Willie Taggart's tenure at Florida State did not go according to plan. He succeeded Jimbo Fisher for the Seminoles, taking over in December 2017, but didn't even last two full years.
Coming in with experience as head coach at three different schools, with the most recent being Oregon in 2017, Taggart led Florida State to a 5-7 record in his debut 2018 season, the school's first losing record since 1976. That also broke the Seminoles' longest active streak of consecutive bowl appearances, dating back to 1981.
Rumors about Taggart being fired followed him throughout the 2018 offseason, but he remained head coach into 2019. However, not much improved for the Seminoles — Taggart was fired in November 2019, as the team had a 4-5 record to start the year. Florida State had to pay over $20 million in buyouts, with $18 million going to Taggart and additional money going to Oregon for his hiring.
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10. Ed Orgeron, LSU ($16.9 million)
Ed Orgeron's run at LSU had some incredibly high points, none bigger than the Tigers' 2019 national championship led by a dynamic offense that included Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Orgeron won multiple Coach of the Year awards that season as well.
Orgeron, who initially stepped in as interim head coach when Les Miles was fired mid-way into the 2016 season, eventually became the full-time head coach and succeeded. From 2016-19, LSU won more games than the previous season, culminating in the perfect 15-0 year in 2019 with a title.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt was hard to envision LSU letting Orgeron go after that special run, but the Tigers fell off afterward. In 2020, they went 5-5 to follow-up the previous title, and in 2021, they opened the year 3-3. LSU announced in October 2021 that Orgeron would finish out the season, but there was a mutual agreement for him to depart afterward.
LSU did finish bowl-eligible with a 6-6 record, but Orgeron did not coach in the Texas Bowl. He finished his Tigers tenure with a 51–20 record, and received a reported $16.9 million for his exit from the program.
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11. Tom Allen, Indiana ($15.5 million)
Tom Allen was thrust into Indiana's head coaching job in December 2016, when then-head coach Kevin Wilson resigned from his role. With a defensive background, Allen had led the Hoosiers to a remarkable defensive turnaround as the coordinator in 2016.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHowever, Indiana did find some success under Allen. After consecutive 5–7 seasons in 2017 and 2018, the Hoosiers broke through with an 8–5 season in 2019, also earning the team's first top 25 ranking in football since 1994. Indiana's 5-4 Big Ten record was its first winning conference record since 1993 — and Allen was rewarded with a seven-year contract that reportedly paid him an average of $3.9 million per season.
Indiana's ascension continued in 2020, winning six of eight games and finishing second in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers reached a top-10 ranking in the AP Poll for the first time in decades, and Allen was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
However, injuries then played a role in the program's downturn, and Indiana struggled to 2–10, 4–8 and 3-9 records in the next three seasons, reverting back to the bottom of the conference. Following the 2023 season, the Hoosiers fired Allen with a $15.5 million buyout, as he ended his stint with a 33–49 overall record.
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AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement12. Tom Herman, Texas ($15.4 million)
Tom Herman's success at Houston led him to Texas in November 2016. He signed a five-year deal with a base salary of $5 million per year with the Longhorns, replacing Charlie Strogn.
Herman's best year at Texas came in 2018, when the team went 10-4 with a win in the Sugar Bowl. Still, there's a high standard that comes with programs like Texas', and one season with double-digit wins over four years wasn't enough for Herman.
On Jan. 2, 2021, following a 7-3 season, Texas fired Herman despite four bowl wins in four seasons. The Longhorns went 32-18 in his tenure, but chose to pay a reported $15.4 million to let Herman walk away.
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13. Art Briles, Baylor ($15.1 million)
In 2007, Art Briles joined Baylor on a seven-year deal. At the time, the Bears hadn't had a winning season since 1995, but he soon changed that.
After consecutive 4–8 seasons in 2008 and 2009, Baylor made the Texas Bowl in 2010 with a 7-6 final record led by quarterback Robert Griffin III. In 2011, Briles took the team a step further, going 10-3 with a win in the Alamo Bowl as Griffin won the Heisman Award.
Briles led Baylor to back-to-back 11-2 seasons in 2013 and 2014 before they finished at 10-3 in 2015. However, his time with the Bears ended in controversy.
In May 2016, Baylor released a findings of fact document prepared by the board of regents, which held Briles responsible for how the school handled sexual assault. Briles was initially suspended with intent to be fired, then reached a settlement in June 2016 to have his contract terminated. Briles also sued the school for wrongful termination, among other claims, a case that was settled with Baylor paying him $15.1 million in 2018.
Briles finished his time at Baylor with a 65-37 record.
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14. Scott Frost, Nebraska ($15.0 million)
In December 2017, Scott Frost joined Nebraska, his alma mater, after a perfect 13-0 season at UCF the prior season. Expectations were high for the Cornhuskers given Frost's track record, but they struggled in all five of his years with the team.
Frost finished his first season at 4–8, which was the worst single-season record of any Nebraska head football coach in over 50 years. After more losing records in 2019 (5-7), 2020 (3-5) and 2021 (3-9), Nebraska even reduced Frost's salary by a reported $1 million and reduced his buyout amount.
Still, Nebraska struggled under Frost. Following a 1-2 start to the 2022 season, including an upset loss to Georgia Southern, the Cornhuskers fired Frost with a $15 million buyout, which would have been much lower if they had waited another month. That meant that Frost did not have a single winning season or bowl game appearance at Nebraska, finishing with a 16-31 record.
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