It’s expensive for a college football program to succumb to the pressures of fan bases and cough up money to jettison an underperforming coach. It’s not uncommon for a coach to get bought and subsequently fired, which is why most coaches, especially high-profile ones, negotiate a ridiculous number to make it extremely difficult to fire them.
That’s why Mike Norvell was able to see his 2-10 season turn into an upset win over No. 1 Alabama in Week 1 and debut in the AP top 25 poll at No. 14 after one game. That’s why the Ohio State athletic department can come out and publicly defend Ryan Day after losing a fourth-straight season to Michigan – though they’ll never admit his buyout had anything to do with it.
Kalen DeBoer has been the subject of buyout discussions after a miserable start to the 2025 season. This comes after a lackluster 2024 season that saw three bad losses turn into a snub from the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. Let’s dive into the idea of contract buyouts; which ones are the current most expensive ones and what are the most expensive ones paid out and why it might not absolve DeBoer from being out of a job.
How Kalen DeBoer’s contract buyout measures up against the most expensive ones in college football
COACH | TEAM | BUYOUT |
|---|---|---|
1. Kirby Smart | Georgia Bulldogs | $118 million |
2. Lincoln Riley | USC Trojans | $90 million |
3. Kalen DeBoer | Alabama Crimson Tide | $70 million |
4. Steve Sarkisian | Texas Longhorns | $64 million |
5. Mike Norvell | Florida State Seminoles | $63 million |
6. Brian Kelly | LSU Tigers | $62 million |
7. Mario Cristobal | Miami Hurricanes | $61 million |
8. Dabo Swinney | Clemson Tigers | $60 million |
9. James Franklin | Penn State Nittany Lions | $56.66 million |
10. Matt Rhule | Nebraska Cornhuskers | $56.28 million |
DeBoer’s seat went from lukewarm to on fire all after one week of the college football season. Of all the overreactions from the first week of college football, I must say people calling for DeBoer’s firing aren’t completely irrational. This team doesn’t look like the vintage Alabama team we’re used to seeing. Obviously, it’s a little different with a new regime, but I can understand why DeBoer’s buyout could be on the table.
As for how much it would take, Alabama boosters would need to raise $70 million to get rid of DeBoer, that’s the third most expensive buyout in college football among active coaches. Only Kirby Smart ($118 million) and Lincoln Riley ($90 million) have higher buyouts. DeBoer was smart to negotiate a big buyout, but it doesn’t make him bulletproof.
Of the top 10 most expensive buyouts, eight of them are $60 million or higher. That’s a risky investment. Programs are gambling that their coaching hires strike gold, while the coach is securing some job security if things go awry. If you look at coaches like Smart, he’s built up enough of a reputation and success that it would take more than conjuring the buyout funds to get him fired.
On Sports Illustrated list of the top 10 most expensive buyouts, there’s at least four other coaches on that list that could be considered on the hot seat, including Mike Norvell, Matt Rhule, Lincoln Riley and you could even make the argument for Mario Cristobal. Of all those coaches, DeBoer has the highest buyout.
What are the most expensive buyouts ever paid out by college football teams?
COACH | TEAM | BUYOUT PAID |
|---|---|---|
1. Jimbo Fisher | Texas A&M Aggies | $77.5 million |
2. Gus Malzahn | Auburn Tigers | $22 million |
3. Charlie Weis | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | $19 million |
4. Willie Taggart | Florida State Seminoles | $18 million |
5. Ed Orgeron | LSU Tigers | $17 million |
6. Tom Allen | Indiana Hoosiers | $16 million |
7. Tom Herman | Texas Longhorns | $15 million |
8. Art Briles | Baylor Bears | $15 million |
9. Scott Frost | Nebraska Cornhuskers | $15 million |
10. Bobby Petrino | Louisville Cardinals | $14 million |
Though DeBoer has the highest of the high-profile coaches, he shouldn’t feel comfortable. The most expensive buyout in college football history belongs to Jimbo Fisher after Texas A&M put together $77.5 million to get him out of College Station. Though he’s the only coach to ever have a buyout paid higher than $22 million, it doesn’t mean he’ll be the only one ever.
Once upon a time, it didn’t cost a lot to get a coach out if you were frustrated with them, but things have changed. And I’m sure Fisher’s buyout changed the landscape of how coaches viewed it, especially knowing the repercussions for coughing up the buyout money.
Did other schools learn from Texas A&M’s $77.5 million mistake to fire Jimbo Fisher?
Texas A&M learned a valuable lesson for giving up on Jimbo Fisher when they did. They probably should have waited before getting rid of him because they haven’t really gotten better. Sure they were mad with the state of the team, but it wasn’t in the worst position. That’s the territory Alabama is in with DeBoer.
It was always going to be a tough task taking over for the legendary Nick Saban. After all, DeBoer is only in his second season and one game into it. Is it really worth throwing out $70 million to get rid of him when you don’t know his replacement? And what are the odds his replacement gets Bama in a better position?
Mike Elko took over Texas A&M and they’re better for now, but not the best team in the SEC. Fisher proved he could recruit and build a championship contending roster, he just didn’t win with it. DeBoer hasn’t even had a chance to truly build the roster he wants. Giving up on him now and it costing $70 million to do it isn’t worth it.
There is nothing wrong with being mad with him and disappointed with the state of Bama football. But giving up now with no real coaching candidates will only set this team further back than they are, which if we’re being honest, the Crimson Tide aren’t in a terrible position.
DeBoer isn’t safe from his lucrative buyout thanks to Fisher, but it doesn’t mean Bama boosters should be pulling together the money. The best thing for them is to be patient before making any rash decisions. The Alabama job is going to be hard for anybody that takes it over, patience is important. Rash decisions lead to regrets and getting DeBoer’s buyout money together is teetering on unnecessary urgency.