The 28 biggest college football coaching buyouts in 2025

Firing a head coach across the landscape of college football is never simple. At the highest level of the sport, it's not only a logistical nightmare but typically a financial one, too.

Coaching contracts are structured with a massive parachute in place for high-profile figures. These buyouts guarantee a certain payout just to part ways with a struggling head coach. Sometimes it's enough to keep a once-vaunted hire twisting in the wind for a few more seasons attempting to reclaim past glory. Sometimes you're Texas A&M, stuck paying Jimbo Fisher more than $77 million just to stop coming to work.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SALARIES:Top-25 highest-paid college football coaches in 2025

Thanks to USA TODAY Sports' database of college football coaches' salaries, we know how much it would cost almost every school to fire its coach this year. (Obtaining this information from private schools is more difficult. They're not obligated to report salary data.)

As USA TODAY Sports explained in its methodology, these buyout numbers are how much the school would owe the coach if he's fired without cause, and the amount may be paid out over a period of time, rather than a lump sum.

These are all the coaches whose buyouts will cost their universities at least $25 million in go-away money. All buyout figures are as of December 1, 2025.

1. Kirby Smart, Georgia: $105,107,583

2. Ryan Day, Ohio State: $70,916,667

3. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama: $60,843,750

4. Steve Sarkisian, Texas: $60,307,500

5. Dabo Swinney, Clemson: $60,000,000

6. Mike Norvell, Florida State: $58,667,708

7. Dan Lanning, Oregon: $56,733,333

8. Curt Cignetti, Indiana: $56,700,000

9. Brian Kelly, LSU: $53,293,333

10. Matt Rhule, Nebraska: $49,612,500

11. Bret Bielema, Illinois: $49,491,667

12. James Franklin, Penn State: $48,666,667

13. Mark Stoops, Kentucky: $37,687,500

14. Josh Heupel, Tennessee: $37,500,000

15. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss: $36,600,000

16. Brent Venables, Oklahoma: $36,158,333

17. Matt Campbell, Iowa State: $35,416,667

18. Jedd Fisch, Washington: $33,686,666

19. Jeff Brohm, Louisville: $33,633,333

20. Deion Sanders, Colorado: $33,625,000

21. Jonathan Smith, Michigan State: $33,033,125

22. Chris Klieman, Kansas State: $29,625,000

23. Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri: $28,875,685

24. Shane Beamer, South Carolina: $27,903,958

25. Luke Fickell, Wisconsin: $27,493,333

26. P.J. Fleck, Minnesota: $26,600,000

27. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa: $25,729,167

28. Barry Odom, Purdue: $25,125,000

This article originally appeared on For The Win: The 28 biggest college football coaching buyouts in 2025