Top 5 most ridiculous coaching buyouts in college football
USA TODAY posted their annual college football head coach salaries, and there are a handful of ridiculous buyouts that go along with them.
The college football season has been filled with plenty of drama over the last few months. With only a month and some change left in the regular season, teams look to make their final push for the committee and the conference. Teams that find themselves on the losing end more often than not might have changes coming soon.
Wednesday, USA TODAY wrote their annual article which details every NCAA FBS head coach’s salary, rank, assistant pay and their buyouts. If there have been rumblings surrounding your team’s coach, which there are many across the nation, then you want to pay attention to this article and the numbers associated with it.
When it comes to buyouts for college coaches, generally, the numbers correspond to the coach’s potential success and actual success. Since the buyout is a tool that universities use to protect themselves from a situation like the University of Tennessee experienced with Lane Kiffin almost a decade ago, the numbers can be all over the place. The numbers can also get complicated, but it is extremely clear which coaches have ridiculous buyouts.
5. Dabo Swinney – Clemson Tigers
The first coach on our list of most ridiculous buyouts is Dabo Swinney, coach of the Clemson Tigers. Dabo is the second highest-paid coach in college football, only to Nick Saban. The man has taken his career to new heights almost every year, and his buyout is listed at $40,000,000. That’s just plain absurd. For comparison, Nick Saban’s buyout is a mere $26,900,000.
With Swinney bursting onto the head coaching scene rather recently, his buyout is that of a legendary coach. For Clemson fans, the buyout probably doesn’t sound too bad considering the quick success Swinney has enjoyed over the last handful of years. Taking into account his performance, $40,000,000 is just a bit too much coin for a guy that isn’t quite on the level of a Nick Saban just yet, despite besting him last season for the national title.