Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com
A fan holds up a sign "Free Butch Jones" during the first half an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
By Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com
USA Today released its annual college football coaches salary database on Wednesday, a list that always includes a number of fascinating facts and figures.
For the first time, the database includes buyout figures for nearly every coach. These buyout figures are what the school would owe the coach as of Dec. 1, 2017, if he were to be “fired without cause,” that is, for not winning enough.
Read below for buyout figures for every coach in the SEC, starting from highest to lowest. (AP photo above by Brynn Anderson)
AP photo by John Bazemore
Nick Saban, Alabama: $26.9 million
It’s no surprise that the highest-paid, most-successful coach in the conference would have the highest buyout. However, Saban’s buyout is not the largest in major college football. Clemson’s Dabo Swinney ($40 million), Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher ($39.3 million) and Washington’s Chris Petersen ($30.6 million) all have higher buyout figures this year.
AP photo by David Stephenson
Mark Stoops, Kentucky: $14.8 million
Stoops has a sweetheart of a deal at Kentucky, where he’s under contract through the 2022 season at an average $4 million-plus per season. The youngest of the four coaching Stoops brothers is just 24-32 in five seasons with the Wildcats, but might be on the edge of a breakthrough with a 5-2 mark so far in 2017.
AP photo by John Raoux
Jim McElwain, Florida: $12.9 million
The honeymoon appears to be nearing its end between McElwain and the Gators despite a pair of SEC East titles in his first two seasons. Still, it would be outrageously expensive to send him packing at this point. McElwain earns better than $4.4 million per season at Florida, where he is 19-8 heading into Saturday’s annual showdown with Georgia.
AP photo by Mark Humphrey
Kirby Smart, Georgia: $10.8 million
Smart appears to be on the verge of big things at his alma mater, having led the Bulldogs to a 7-0 record out of the gate and No. 3 national ranking in 2017. The longtime Nick Saban assistant is under contract through 2021 at around $3.75 million per year, and would be very expensive to fire, if it suddenly came to that.
AP photo by Tony Gutierrez
Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M: $10.4 million
Sumlin appears to have escaped the hot seat with a solid October by his team, but that could change if the Aggies collapse down the stretch as they have in each of the last three years. Sumlin has two years after this one remaining on his contract, and would be owed the full balance if he is fired without cause at any point.
AP photo by Rogelio V. Solis
Ed Orgeron, LSU: $8.8 million
How an interim head coach with seemingly no other big-time offers was able to negotiate a buyout this large speaks to the skills of Orgeron’s agent — or perhaps to those of LSU athletics director Joe Alleva. Nevertheless, Orgeron has some pretty serious buyout protection, though his team has turned it around a bit after some early struggles.
AP photo by Wade Payne
Butch Jones, Tennessee: $8.1 million
It appears that it is not a matter of if Jones will be fired this year, but a matter of when. The Volunteers are 14-22 in SEC play in Jones’ five years, including 0-4 this year with embarrassing losses to Georgia and Alabama. When the end comes for Jones in Knoxville, at least he’ll get a nice financial settlement.
AP photo by Sean Rayford
Will Muschamp, South Carolina: $7.1 million
After a disastrous four-year tenure at Florida, Muschamp has his Gamecocks playing competitive football for the second straight season. You can perhaps chalk that up to lower expectations, but for whatever reason, it’s difficult to imagine South Carolina wanting to get rid of him at this stage. Don’t be surprised if he gets a raise and/or extension soon.
AP photo by Thomas Graning
Gus Malzahn, Auburn: $6.9 million
Auburn has never been shy about firing even if they have high buyout figures. The Tigers are still theoretically in the SEC championship race, but losing to Georgia and Alabama for a fourth straight year could lead to call for Malzahn’s ouster. His future might also be tied to AD Jay Jacobs, whose own job is hanging in the balance.
AP photo by Tony Gutierrez
Bret Bielema, Arkansas: $5.9 million
Various published reports indicated that Bielema’s buyout was well over $15 million, but that’s proven not to be true after a re-reading of the contract language. With the lower figure, it’s possible this will be his last year in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks have regressed two straight years, and currently sit 2-5 overall, 0-4 in the SEC.
AP photo by L.G. Patterson
Barry Odom, Missouri: $1.5 million
Odom had very little leverage when he got the Missouri job, as a graduate of the school who had no head-coaching experience. It shows in his buyout, which is one of the lowest among Power 5 coaches. The Tigers have been just plain bad in Odom’s two seasons, and his buyout wouldn’t prohibit the school from deciding to move on.
AP photo by Thomas Graning
Matt Luke, Ole Miss: $1.4 million
Luke was elevated to interim head coach following the resignation of Hugh Freeze in late July, and his buyout reflects his prorated salary as well as what he is still owed as the Rebels’ former assistant head coach. Despite an early grass roots movement that he should be named permanent head coach, it’s likely someone else gets the job full-time.
AP photo by Butch Dill
Dan Mullen, Mississippi State: unclear
Mississippi State makes Mullen’s contract information available only on a year-to-year basis, so it’s not publicly known what his buyout figure would be. If his contract calls for him to be paid in full if fired without cause, that would add up to about $20 million through 2021. But it’s not like MSU would fire the best coach in school history.
AP photo by Mark Humphrey
Derek Mason, Vanderbilt: undisclosed
Vanderbilt is a private school, and thus not subject to public records requests regarding employees’ contract information. Mason earns an estimated $2.7 million as Commodores’ head coach, and is under contract through 2022. Mason is just 16-28 overall at Vanderbilt, but had the Commodores in a bowl game in 2016.
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