College Football Coaching Contract Comparisons

Brian Kelly 2020
10 years, $95M, buyout is 90% of remaining salary


Ryan Day 2019 (1st head coaching job)
5 years, $22.5M
After winning Title in 2025, 7 years, $87.5M
His current buyout is $11.5M divided by the number of years remaining. Yeah, you read that right.

Kirby Smart 2015 (1st head coaching job)
6 years, 22.5M
after 3 seasons he signed a 7 year extension worth $49M running through the 2024 season
buyout was 60% of the remaining salary
after winning back to back national championships, he got a new 10 year $130M contract, fully guaranteed.
Notice how he earned all of this at this school

Dan Lanning 2021 (1st head coaching job)
6 years, $29.1M
after 3 years, going 35-6, he signed an extension for 6 more years at $65.4M
I don't even know if he has a buyout, as all his contracts talk about is his buyout if he leaves the school, not if he is fired.

Billy Napier 2021 (previous Sunbelt head coach)
7 years, $51.8M fully guaranteed

Josh Huepel 2021 (Head coach for 3 years at UCF)
6 years, $24M
after 1st season, new contract for 6 years $30M
after 2nd season, new contract for 6 years $54M
after 4th season, 1 more year added to current contract
buyout is 75% of remaining salary if before 12/27, 50% after that


Sherrone Moore 2024 (1st head coaching job)
5 years, $30M
$5M buyout decreasing by $1M each year.

Steve Sarkisian 2021 (Washington and USC head coach)
6 years, $34.2M
after 3 seasons he renegotiated his salary and signed for 7 years at $74.2M
buyout was 70% of remaining salary.
He added one more year onto the deal ealier this year, and bumped his buyout to 85% of remaining salary

Mike Elko 2023 (Head coach at Duke for 2 years before being hired, only head coaching experience)
6 years, $42M
buyout is 75% of remaining salary

Kalen DeBoer 2024 (head coach at Fresno and Washington)
8 years $87M
buyout is 90% of remaining salary

Lincoln Riley 2022 (head coach at Oklahoma for 5 years)
10 years $110M (reportedly)
buyout reportedly seems to be close to 100% of remaining contract

Brent Venables 2021 (1st head coach job)
6 years $43.5M
after 3 seasons signed a new 6 year $51.6M deal(actually less now b/c he took a pay cut of $1M a year starting this year to put into rev share)
buyout was and still is 100% of remaining salary



These are all the major schools hirings, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, USC, Oregon, Tennessee, so all are easy to use as comparisons.

That being said, DO NOT GO OUT AND GIVE KIFFIN A 10 YEAR $100M+ CONTRACT