The numbers are staggering. Money owed to fired head football coaches this season totals nearly $170 million, according to ESPN.
That includes a $54 million buyout for former LSU coach Brian Kelly and $49 million to former Penn State coach James Franklin.
What does those figures mean? Are the coaches really getting paid that amount?
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Clay Collins, a University of Georgia professor of sports management, spoke to GameDay on 2 about the long contracts and big buyouts.
“I think this is a pretty new phenomenon,” Collins said. “The norm used to be only a two- or three-year deal for a head coach. Now, six, seven, eight, 10 years are not uncommon. So if you’re getting a bigger contract, that’s a bigger buyout."
While the schools write the check, it’s not necessarily the schools’ money. Collins said it’s usually the boosters.
“It’s not like they’re raiding the math department and paying for the coaches buyout in this case. So these are done by boosters, obviously fans, some of them alumni, they’re the ones that are paying most of it,” he said.
Collins explained the big sticker price buyouts in practice aren’t going to be that high as coaches have an obligation to search for another job.
"And if they get one, Penn State and LSU are only owed the difference," Collins said in the case for Franklin and Kelly. “It could be the case that he’s negotiating down to get a lump sum payment."
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It’s still millions of dollars that could be going to players. Is that having an impact on NIL deals?
"So the short answer is, we don’t know," Collins said. “But what is happening that’s interesting is boosters seem to be more involved with the hiring and firing process now. If you look at UCLA’s search, one of their top boosters is involved directly involved in the search committee."
The money is only going to go up. It’s a double-edge sword for coaches though.
"I think a lot of coaches should be a little bit more concerned now,“ Collins said. ”Because now it shows that coaches or universities are much more likely to pull the trigger on somebody and get rid of somebody."
But if a university finds the right fit, the money may be worth it.
“The biggest buyout in history was Texas A&M. Texas A&M boosters right now are very happy with their decision to buy out their head coach," Collins said.
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