College football buyouts have surged to nearly $185 million this season, with James Franklin near the top of the list
In 2025, the cost of coaching failure has become one of college football’s most expensive line items.
Coaching longevity in college football has been quietly unraveling. With buyout obligations ballooning to nearly $185 million across 11 FBS programs, the financial stakes of failure have never been higher. At the heart of the surge sits James Franklin, former HC of Penn State Nittany Lions, whose tax tag among buyouts this season approaches nearly $50 million, making his exit one of the costliest in college football history.
What these buyouts mean for Penn State and other universities moving forward
That $185 million figure reflects a broader structural shift across college football: schools are increasingly willing to short-circuit coaches despite ultra-expensive contracts. For example, Brian Kelly’s severance from LSU Tigers reportedly stands at around $53 million (the most expensive in the league). Meanwhile, Franklin’s buyout is pegged at $49.7 million. Further down the list, the numbers continue to stun: Billy Napier (Florida Gators) $21.2 M; Hugh Freeze (Auburn Tigers) $15.4 M; Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State Cowboys) $15 M; Sam Pittman (Arkansas Razorbacks) $9.8 M; plus others like DeShaun Foster (UCLA Bruins) at $6.43 M, Brent Pry (Virginia Tech Hokies) $6 M, Trent Bray (Oregon State Beavers) $4 M, Trent Dilfer (UAB Blazers) $2.4 M, and Jay Norvell (Colorado State Rams) $1.5 M.
The elite tier of college football now demands instant, sustained success. Programs won’t wait patiently for a rebuild when multimillion-dollar contracts promise rapid results. Coaches’ contracts are constructed with enormous buyout clauses — effectively locking universities into paying whether they fire early or not. In short, schools are signing a blank check but balking when results don’t follow.
Franklin’s recent firing perfectly encapsulates the problem. After a 10-win campaign in 2024, Penn State entered 2025 with CFP expectations. Instead, the Nittany Lions stumbled, dropping games to UCLA and Northwestern and triggering an abrupt end to Franklin’s 12-year tenure as head coach. The university reportedly agreed to pay him nearly $49.7 million. That said, debate continues to swirl around how much the school might actually pay, thanks to a “duty to mitigate” clause that could reduce obligations if Franklin finds new employment.
This season’s surge in buyouts has propelled the cumulative cost of FBS coaching dismissals into college football’s billion-dollar era. According to industry trackers, the total amount paid out during the CFP era is expected to exceed $1 billion, underlining how much weight these programs place on immediate returns — and how painful the losses can be.
For universities, there’s a lesson here: contractual discipline is essential. Schools must build in accountability, scale back guarantees, or accept the possibility that they’ll need to be more cautious in coaching contracts. Meanwhile, for head coaches, the margin for error has narrowed. Now, a single losing streak doesn’t just threaten your job — it threatens a massive financial exit.
Penn State Nittany Lions News
Former Penn State tight end weighs in on James Franklin firing — ‘I don’t agree with the decision’
Former Penn State star and current Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth says he disagrees with the Nittany Lions’ decision.
