Hot-seat coach buyouts
Cited buyouts for eight football coaches on the hot seat, each with its source and as-of date. Pending stays pending. A firing liability, not yearly spend.
Buyout calculator
| Coach |
School |
Buyout |
As of |
Source |
| Greg Schiano |
Rutgers |
$18,000,000 |
as of October 4, 2026 |
NJ.com (Brian Fonseca & Keith Sargeant, Oct. 4, 2026); CBS Sports (Sept. 11, 2026); FOX Sports |
| Shane Beamer |
South Carolina |
$22,550,000 |
as of December 1, 2026 |
USA TODAY (Sept. 26, 2026), quoting the Beamer contract |
| Mike Norvell |
Florida State |
$49,353,349 |
as of September 16, 2026 |
FSU 7th Amendment to 2019 EA (Dec. 13, 2024) via DocumentCloud / Tallahassee Democrat |
| Dabo Swinney |
Clemson |
$57,000,000 |
as of January 1, 2026 |
Clemson 2022 BOT term sheet (Sept. 2022) — binding until a restated EA |
| Deion Sanders |
Colorado |
$33,000,000 |
if fired in 2026 |
Denver Post (Sean Keeler, Feb. 28, 2026) |
| Barry Odom |
Purdue |
$20,625,000 |
if fired Dec. 1, 2026 |
Indianapolis Star (Nathan Baird, Dec. 10, 2024), syndicated by Yahoo Sports |
| Mike Locksley |
Maryland |
$9,950,000 |
as of September 24, 2026 |
Washington Times (Sep. 24, 2026) — Locksley contract via Maryland Public Information Act |
| Steve Sarkisian |
Texas |
$60,307,500 |
as of December 1, 2025 Prior-contract figure, new deal pending |
USA TODAY coaches salary database, buyout as of Dec. 1, 2025 |
