By the numbers: How much would it cost to fire your head coach?
The 2016 college football season has seen plenty of fans, media members, and alumni calling for a host of head coaches to be fired. In today's "what have you done for me lately" world, one bad season can seemingly wipe out four years of success.
On Wednesday, USA Today Sports released their annual report on head coaching salaries at public universities. Jim Harbaugh of Michigan topped the list at $9.004 million, which is more than any NFL coach makes.
While some find those salary levels debatable for state employees, it's also interesting to see just how much schools would owe their coaches, should they fire them.
Looking at coaches who have spent the year on our Hot Seat Meter, here are the buyouts, should their schools pull the trigger:
| School | Coach | Money Owed (Millions) |
|---|---|---|
| UCLA | Jim Mora | $15.105 |
| Kentucky | Mark Stoops | $14.04 |
| Penn State | James Franklin | $13.55 |
| Oregon | Mark Helfrich | $11.60 |
| Texas | Charlie Strong | $11.58 |
| LSU | Les Miles (Fired) | $8.958 |
| Auburn | Gus Malzahn | $8.95 |
| Arizona | Rich Rodriguez | $8.91 |
| Purdue | Darrell Hazell (Fired) | $4.991 |
| Ole Miss | Hugh Freeze | N/A |
Two coaches from our Hot Seat Meter have already been fired: Les Miles of LSU and Darrell Hazell of Purdue. Combined, the two will earn $13.949 million to not coach. Additionally, each school will have to pay a new coach on top of the buyout.
Ole Miss' Hugh Freeze was the lone coach without his buyout number publicly available, while Boston College, Northwestern, Notre Dame, and USC are private schools and their contracts are not subject to public requests.
Penn State and Auburn no longer have to worry about opening up their checkbooks, as both James Franklin and Gus Malzahn have turned their seasons around. Meanwhile, Freeze and Ole Miss are still under NCAA investigation for alleged violations, which could lead to his dismissal. Overall, the combined money owed if every listed coach was fired (including Miles and Hazell) would total $97.684 million.
Outside of Miles and Hazell, only two other FBS coaches have been fired during the 2016 season. Fresno State fired Tim DeRuyter on Sunday after five seasons, and will owe him $3.13 million, while Florida International will pay Ron Turner $609,385 after firing him in September.
Most of the buyouts are subsidized (provided the fired coach finds a new position elsewhere), helping offset the cost. Still, while the NCAA touts itself as amateur, it's all business when it comes to coaching salaries.