Sports Illustrated Ranks Largest College Coaching Buyouts
A new list of the biggest known buyouts in college football and men's basketball shows how exit fees have grown alongside coaching salaries.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Football
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Sports Illustrated published a list of the largest known coaching buyouts in college football and men's college basketball, drawn from USA Today's annual databases. The list comes as Florida State fired Mike Norvell on Sunday.
Why it matters
Rising buyouts make it costlier for schools to replace coaches after short tenures, and agents have negotiated larger exit fees as salaries have climbed. Larger payouts also let programs start fresh more quickly.
The football figures come from USA Today's database last updated October 8, 2025, and the men's basketball figures from its April 8 update. Brian Kelly's $53.3 million buyout at LSU is the largest in the football data, far above the $8 million TCU paid Jamie Dixon in 2019.
The players
Sports Illustrated
A national sports magazine and website that compiled and published the buyout rankings.
USA Today
A national newspaper whose annual databases supplied the buyout figures used in the list.
Brian Kelly
Former LSU football coach whose $53.3 million buyout tops the football list after LSU fired him last season.
The details
The 10 largest known buyouts in each sport were compiled by Sports Illustrated. Six of the top 10 football buyout holders were also top-10 salary earners in their sport when the data was compiled, and the same was true for six of the top 10 men's basketball holders. LSU fired Brian Kelly last season.
Timeline
October 8, 2025: USA Today last updated its football buyout database.
April 8: USA Today last updated its men's basketball buyout database.
Sunday: Florida State fired Mike Norvell.
Season Trajectory
The rankings extend USA Today's annual buyout databases by highlighting the largest exit fees in each sport. They show how coaching payouts have risen as top coaches' salaries have grown.
Coaching buyouts affect how quickly schools can change leadership after a poor season, which shapes team stability for players and fans. Larger exit fees can delay or complicate hiring decisions for programs in the middle of a rebuild.
The takeaway
Rising buyouts mean coaching changes now carry real financial stakes for schools, so fans should expect bigger costs when programs decide to move on from a coach.
Further reading
For more on the business of college sports, see Football coverage across the United States.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Sports Illustrated.
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