College football coaching buyouts have reached staggering new heights, with the 2025 season already seeing seven coaches dismissed for a combined $93.5 million, highlighted by James Franklin’s nearly $50 million payout. This escalating financial commitment to ‘dead money’ underscores a significant and growing challenge for athletic departments, raising questions about sustainability and resource allocation in the ever-evolving landscape of college sports.
The business of college football continues its upward trajectory in terms of sheer financial scale, but not always in the way fans might expect. While massive coaching contracts are commonplace, the cost of terminating those contracts has become equally, if not more, eye-popping. As of October 13, 2025, the combined buyouts for college football coaches fired since the start of the current season are pushing $100 million, marking a significant and potentially troubling trend for athletic departments nationwide.
The figures from USA TODAY Sports indicate that the total stands at $93.5 million, with several high-profile dismissals contributing to this colossal sum. This comes on the heels of reports that Power 5 schools alone have shelled out more than $140 million in buyouts to fired college football coaches since just the 2022 season, according to ESPN.
The 2025 Season: A New Benchmark for Buyouts
The early weeks of the 2025 college football season have already seen a flurry of coaching changes, each coming with a hefty price tag. Seven FBS coaches have been dismissed, creating a significant financial burden for their respective institutions. Topping this list is James Franklin, whose Penn State buyout is set to be nearly $50 million, making it the second-highest ever paid to a college coach.
This massive figure trails only the historic payout to Jimbo Fisher, who received $76.8 million from Texas A&M after his firing. Fisher’s departure highlighted the escalating nature of these contracts, as his fully guaranteed 10-year deal signed in 2020 left the Aggies on the hook for a significant sum, with an initial payment of $19 million sourced from the donor-backed 12th Man Foundation.
Fired Coaches and Their 2025 Buyouts
The impact of these buyouts extends across various programs, with schools grappling with substantial financial commitments to coaches who are no longer leading their teams. The top buyouts for coaches fired in the 2025 season include:
- James Franklin, Penn State: $49 million
- Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State: $15 million
- Sam Pittman, Arkansas: $9.3 million
- Brent Pry, Virginia Tech: $6.8 million
- DeShaun Foster, UCLA: $6.4 million
- Trent Bray, Oregon State: ~$4 million
- Trent Dilfer, UAB: $3 million
It’s important to note that these buyout figures may be subject to mitigation clauses, meaning that if a fired coach secures a new job, the former institution may be able to offset some of the payments based on the new employment income. However, for many, these payouts represent years of financial obligation for services no longer rendered.
A Decade of Escalating Dead Money
The trend of massive buyouts is not new but has accelerated dramatically. Data reveals that from January 1, 2010, to January 31, 2021, Power 5 and Group of 5 programs collectively spent over $533 million in dead money owed to fired coaches across football, men’s and women’s basketball, and assistant coaching positions. This historical context underscores the deeply entrenched nature of these contractual obligations.
Looking at more recent fiscal years, public Power 5 institutions reported spending a combined $90.6 million in football severance payments in the 2021-22 fiscal year (FY22), according to On3. This figure represents the second-highest total ever recorded, trailing only the $98.8 million spent in FY18 (which would equate to over $116 million when adjusted for inflation). In FY22 alone, schools like Washington ($17 million), Florida ($15.3 million), and Virginia Tech ($10 million) were among the top spenders in football buyouts.
The Price of Potential: Contractual Obligations for Active Coaches
The buyouts aren’t just for fired coaches; they also reflect the massive investments schools make in their active coaching staff. Many top coaches today have fully guaranteed contracts worth tens of millions, with corresponding buyouts if the school decides to move on. For example, if coaches like Kirby Smart (Georgia, $92.5 million), Brian Kelly (LSU, $70 million), or Dabo Swinney (Clemson, $64 million) were to be fired, their schools would face staggering financial penalties.
This landscape creates a high-stakes environment where schools are incentivized to hold onto coaches longer, even when performance falters, simply to avoid the enormous cost of firing them. It also means that when coaching searches commence, candidates often demand contracts that include these very same massive buyouts, perpetuating the cycle.
Beyond Football: The Broader Financial Impact
While football dominates the headlines and the largest buyout figures, the financial ripple effect extends to other major college sports. Public Power 5 schools reported more than $26 million in men’s basketball buyouts in FY22, surpassing the previous record. This included significant payouts to coaches at high-profile programs such as Maryland ($5.3 million), Louisville ($4.9 million), and Georgia ($4.2 million). Women’s basketball buyouts also saw a considerable increase, reaching $3.9 million in the same fiscal year.
The combined severance payments to all coaches and administrators across these schools totaled nearly $133 million in FY22, with football accounting for approximately 68% of that sum. This demonstrates a systemic issue of increasing “dead money” obligations across collegiate athletics.
The Future Landscape: Legal Battles and Athlete Compensation
The rising cost of coaching buyouts is occurring amidst a turbulent legal and judicial landscape for college athletics. Legal challenges, such as the House v. NCAA antitrust lawsuit, seek to grant athletes a share of name, image, and likeness (NIL) revenue and even TV revenue. If plaintiffs prevail, this could potentially cost the NCAA and its member institutions billions of dollars, forcing a significant re-evaluation of how athletic department funds are allocated.
A recent declaration against class certification in the *House v. NCAA* case was filed by Jimmy Sexton, co-head of football at CAA and agent for prominent coaches like Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, and Jimbo Fisher, according to the Sports Business Journal. Sexton’s involvement highlights the intricate financial ecosystem connecting coaches, agents, and the institutions themselves, further complicating the debate around athlete compensation. With coaching salaries, benefits, and buyouts already accounting for a substantial portion of athletic department expenses (over 21% for 52 public Power 5 schools in FY22), any significant form of revenue sharing with athletes could force institutions to fundamentally alter their spending habits on coaches and staff.
Fan Perspective: What Does it Mean for the Game?
For the passionate fan community, these escalating buyout figures represent a complex dilemma. On one hand, the desire for winning programs drives the demand for top-tier coaches and often necessitates bold, expensive decisions when performance lags. On the other hand, the sheer volume of “dead money” being paid to coaches no longer affiliated with a team raises questions about fiscal responsibility and the prioritization of resources within collegiate athletics.
As the 2025 season progresses and more coaching changes are inevitably made, the conversations around these monumental buyouts will only intensify. The financial stakes in college football have never been higher, and how athletic departments manage these enormous commitments will undoubtedly shape the future of the sport.
