There have been 15 head coaches fired from their respective schools in the 2025 college football coaching carousel. With the regular season ending this past weekend, this should be the full list of coach firings, barring something unexpected.
If this is indeed it for coach firings this cycle, the more than $228 million in total head coaching buyouts is a college football record by nearly $100 million.
Let's break each buyout down from most lucrative to least.
Former LSU Coach Brian Kelly - $54 million
Former LSU head coach Brian Kelly's $54 million buyout is the largest of the 2025 coaching carousel by a mile. The buyout was so large, in fact, that LSU did everything in their power to find a way not to pay it.
After a month-long back-and-forth affair, LSU finally relented and formally issued a termination letter to Kelly, informing him that the school would pay the full freight of the buyout, as long as the former Tigers coach acted in good faith in trying to find other employment to comply with his "duty to mitigate" clause in his contract. Kelly is owed $54 million over the next six years.
Former Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops - $38 million
Just two years removed from nearly becoming the head coach at Texas A&M, Stoops remained at Kentucky and put together a 9-15 record over the last two years with the Wildcats. Two straight bowl misses was enough for Stoops to go from the penthouse to a free agent, as he was fired after losing 41-0 to Louisville in the season finale.
Stoops is owed $38 million, which amounts to 75% of his remaining salary. It is due in full within 60 days of termination.
Former Michigan State Coach Jonathan Smith - $33.5 million
After Jonathan Smith bolted from his alma mater at Oregon State for the Michigan State job two seasons ago, a 9-15 record in two years at the helm has him unemployed looking for work. Smith is owed an 85% buyout for being fired without cause, which calls for $33.5 million in monthly payments over the remaining five-year life of the deal. Smith has a duty to mitigate clause in his deal, requiring him to make his "best efforts to actively seek and obtain comparable employment as an NFL or Division I coach." Smith's hiring elsewhere, much like Kelly's, would lower the buyout amount for Michigan State.
Former Florida Coach Billy Napier - $21 million
Billy Napier was fired in October, seven games into his fourth season as head coach of the Gators. His contract stipulates that he'd be paid 85% of the remaining value of his contract in a buyout, amounting to $21 million. Napier was due half of his buyout within 30 days of his Oct. 19 firing, with the remaining 50% of his buyout due in annual installments by July 15 each calendar year until his contract is paid off. Florida will be paying him until 2029, and there is no offset language in the contract that would reduce the buyout amount for the Gators if Napier took another job elsewhere.
Former Auburn Coach Hugh Freeze - $15.8 million
Auburn wasted no time firing Freeze in the middle of his third season on The Plains after compiling a 15-19 record as the Tigers head coach. Freeze is owed $15.8 million, which amounts to 75% of his remaining contract. He'll be paid in equal installments through January of 2029. There is no mitigation or offset language in Freeze's deal, and Auburn will be on the hook to pay the full buyout amount regardless of whether or not Freeze takes a job elsewhere.
Former Oklahoma State Coach Mike Gundy - $15 million
Mike Gundy's 20-plus year tenure at Oklahoma State came to a close in September after a 1-2 start to the season on the heels of a 3-9 campaign a season ago.
The end to Gundy's very successful two-decade run in Stillwater is a costly one for the Oklahoma State athletic department, with the longtime coach being owed the full $15 million in monthly installments for the remainder of the contract. There is offset language in the contract that would lower the buyout number for Oklahoma State if Gundy were to land another comparable job.
Former Cal Coach Justin Wilcox - $10.9 million
Justin Wilcox was fired in November late in his ninth season at Cal. The terms of Wilcox's contract called for a buyout of $10.88 million if terminated. It is unclear if there is offset language in Wilcox's deal.
Former Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman - $9.8 million
Former Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman had one of college football's most unique contract buyouts. Pittman signed a new contract with the school in 2022 after posting a 9-4 record the previous season. The extension for Pittman ran through 2026, and was extended automatically when he won seven games in 2022.
Pittman's buyout amount was contingent on his record since 2021 when he was let go. Since Pittman held a record over .500 at the time of his firing, Arkansas owes him $9.8 million. If the Razorbacks had waited until the team lost a couple more games (thus delaying the inevitable in an untenable situation) and fell below .500 under Pittman since 2021, the school would have owed him just $5.7 million.
Pittman was 29-27 at the time of his dismissal.
Former Penn State Coach James Franklin - $9 million
James Franklin was owed just shy of $50 million when he was fired by Penn State in October following a three-game losing skid. The buyout amount plummeted to $9 million due to the duty to mitigate clause in his contract, which kicked in upon his hiring at Virginia Tech.
Former Virginia Tech Coach Brent Pry - $6 million
Speaking of Virginia Tech, the Hokies owed Brent Pry 70% of the remaining base salary, with the exception of the final year of his contract, where he would be owed just 50% of his base salary. For Virginia Tech, that means that Pry is owed $3.5 million in 2026 and $2.5 million in 2027, paid in monthly installments until the full $6 million has been distributed.
Former UCLA Coach DeShaun Foster - $5 million
UCLA hit the eject button quickly on former star running back DeShaun Foster, whose disastrous 1.5 year tenure came to an end after posting a 5-10 record in Los Angeles. UCLA owed him 70% of his remaining salary by Dec. 1 of a given year, and 60% of his salary after that date.
For the Bruins, that means Foster is owed $5 million since he was fired before Dec. 31
Former Oregon State Coach Trent Bray - $4 million
Oregon State fired Trent Bray after an 0-7 start to his second season as the program's head coach. He was in the middle of a five-year contract with the school and owed $4 million. The buyout amount is being covered exclusively by donors and not through the athletic department budget. That's not out of the norm, but it's interesting it was mentioned in the release.
Former UAB Coach Trent Dilfer - $2.4 million
UAB parted ways with Trent Dilfer six games into his third season with the program. His $2.4 million buyout is due to be paid in monthly installments until the full amount has been distributed through 2026.
Former Coastal Carolina Coach Tim Beck - $1.7 million
Coastal Carolina fired head coach Tim Beck following a 59-10 loss to James Madison that dropped the program to a 6-6 record in 2025. Beck is owed 75% of his remaining salary, which approaches $1.7 million in total.
Former Colorado State Coach Jay Norvell - $1.5 million
After reaching the Arizona Bowl last season, Colorado State fired Jay Norvell seven games into his fourth season with the program. Norvell went 18-26 at the school and is owed a full $1.5 million for the remaining life of his contract.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking College Football's Biggest Buyouts From a Historic 2025 Coaching Cycle.
