College football's 10 costliest coaching buyouts includes $118 million shock

As the firing of James Franklin remainds all, coaching buyouts are big business. If a school wants a new coach, it better be carrying a thick wallet into the coaching search. Two years ago, it was considered nearly unthinkable when Jimbo Fisher took a figure of slightly over $75 million to part ways with Texas A&M. But shockingly, there are bigger buyouts in effect now. Here are college football's ten highest buyouts, as reported by Front Office Sports.

10. Matt Rhule, Nebraska ($56.28 million)

Rhule has a big dollar buyout during his efforts to bring back Nebraska. The Huskers haven't won 10 games since Bo Pelini's 2012 squad. They haven't finished a season in the top 10 of either major poll since 2001 under Frank Solich. Rhule's 17-14 start at Nebraska isn't brilliant, but the school has over 56 million reasons to keep him there.

9. James Franklin, Penn State ($56.66 million)

Franklin was 104-45 at Penn State. At plenty of schools, that would be well received. Penn State isn't one of those schools. A 3-3 2025 mark and just a single Big Ten title since taking over in 2014 ended up being more than PSU would bear. Some reports have indicated the payout as low as $49 million, but in any case, Penn State took a financial hit to make this move.

8. Dabo Swinney, Clemson ($60 million)

With a pair of national titles and a 183-50 overall mark, Swinney has a nice resume. But Clemson has lost three or more games in each of the last five seasons, including a 3-3 mark so far this year. Swinney's strong past and his big buyout fee are both big factors in potentially keeping him at Clemson for a long while.

7. Mario Cristobal, Miami ($61 million)

Cristobal jumped from Oregon to Miami and has Miami atop the ACC in 2025. He's 27-16, but his last two seasons suggest he's on solid ground as a Hurricane.

6. Brian Kelly, LSU ($62 million)

Kelly took big bucks to jump to LSU from Notre Dame and so far, the verdict is still out. He's 34-12, but has yet to land LSU in the College Football Playoff. With a 5-1 start this season, Kelly could be completely safe or in minor peril by the end of the year. The massive buyout suggests he's not going anywhere soon.

5. Mike Norvell, Florida State ($63 million)

Norvell moved over from Memphis to Florida State and got paid accordingly. He's 36-30 at FSU although he did deliver a pair of top-10 finishes in 2022 and 2023. But a 5-13 record in his last 18 games suggests danger. However, in the ACC rather than the SEC or Big Ten, it's a genuine question whether FSU could come across with $63 million to make a move-- if it is desired.

4. Steve Sarkisian, Texas ($64 million)

Sark is 42-19 at Texas and led the Longhorns to the last two College Football Playoffs. A pair of losses at Ohio State and Florida have threatened the 2025 season, but a win over Oklahoma keeps UT in the CFP hunt again. Sarkisian should be safe regardless of how 2025 ends up.

3. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama ($70 million)

One of few schools that might cough up $70 million without blinking, Alabama has had some concerns with DeBoer. A 9-4 2024 season was a significant step down from the Saban era and after a season-opening loss to Florida State in 2025, there were rumblings in Tuscaloosa. But Alabama has rebounded to a solid 5-1 mark that puts them in the thick of the Playoff hunt and DeBoer's walking path seems more secure.

2. Lincoln Riley, USC ($90 million)

Riley commanded major money to jump from Oklahoma. The returns have been uneven, with Riley at 31-15 at USC. After a strong 2022, the last two seasons were disappointing, but a 5-1 start to 2025 suggests an uptick for the program. With such a massive buyout, it's safe to assume that USC wouldn't be looking for reasons to part ways.

1. Kirby Smart, Georgia ($118 million)

If Georgia soured on Kirby Smart, it might be cheaper to just transform the school at Athens to Kirby Smart University than to buy him out. The good news is that there's no issue there. Smart has won a pair of national titles and led Georgia to a 110-20 record. He doesn't have a great record against Alabama, but everything else about Smart suggests he's a Bulldog for about as long as he wants to be.