Texas A&M really wanted Jimbo Fisher, so much that the Aggies gave the Florida State head coach a fully guaranteed 10-year, $75-million contract in December. Fully guaranteed means, obviously, if Fisher were to be fired, for example, after this season, he'd be owed the remaining amount on his contract, or about $68 million. Fisher's buyout stands alone in college football — $30 million more than any other FBS head coach — but he's one of 12 FBS head coaches with a buyout of at least $20 million.
This week, USA Today released their annual report of FBS head coaches' contracts, breaking down the base salaries, bonuses and buyouts, among other items, for each FBS head coach whose contract was made available. And while everyone already knew of Fisher's eye-popping deal — and most other buyout figures for coaches at public universities — it's fascinating to see the data in one place.
At $38.05 million, Urban Meyer has the second-largest buyout, followed by Dabo Swinney ($35 million) and Nick Saban ($33.6 million.) Gus Malzahn ($32.14 million) is the only other head coach with a buyout of at least $30 million.
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Here are all 12 FBS head coaches with a buyout of at least $20 million:
|
Head Coach |
School |
Buyout (as of Dec. 1, 2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Jimbo Fisher | Texas A&M | $68,125,000 |
| Urban Meyer | Ohio State | $38,058,402 |
| Dabo Swinney | Clemson | $35,000,000 |
| Nick Saban | Alabama | $33,600,000 |
| Gus Malzahn | Auburn | $32,143,750 |
| Kirby Smart | Georgia | $27,917,500 |
| Chris Petersen | Washington | $26,354,166 |
| Scott Frost | Nebraska | $25,416,667 |
| Kirk Ferentz | Iowa | $22,396,250 |
| Willie Taggart | Florida State | $21,958,333 |
| Jeff Brohm | Purdue | $21,516,667 |
| Lincoln Riley | Oklahoma | $20,833,333 |
