College football is a competitive business, and patience seems to be wearing progressively thinner. Three Power 4 coaches have already been fired this season, and they will collectively make a total of $32 million in buyout money — paid, in effect, to go away.
For context, last season college football coaches received a record $228 million in buyout money. This year has not had nearly as many firings yet, though the season is only midway through, and coaching changes tend to come either after dreadful starts or toward the end of the year. Expect the total to rise. Here is how the $32 million breaks down.
Fired Coaches Buyouts at a Glance
| Coach | School | Buyout |
| Dave Aranda | Baylor | $12 million |
| Dave Doeren | NC State | $10.3 million |
| Mike Locksley | Maryland | $9.75 million |
| Total | $32.05 million |
Dave Aranda, Baylor: $12 Million
Dave Aranda is the most recently fired coach, and so far he is receiving the largest buyout package of the season. Baylor lost its first game of the year against Auburn by mere inches, falling just short on a two-point conversion in the closing seconds. After four straight wins, it seemed like the Bears had regained their way. But disappointing conference losses to TCU and Kansas were enough for the university to look for a change. Aranda, who signed a contract extension in 2022, will receive about $12 million in his buyout package.
Aranda finishes with a 40-40 record over 6.5 seasons at Baylor. His best season came in 2021, his second year with the school. The Bears went 12-2, won the Big 12, and earned a Sugar Bowl victory, finishing 6th and 5th in the Coaches and AP Polls, respectively. But the school could never build on that success, and wound up with losing seasons in three of the following four years. Baylor has turned to Joe Klanderman as interim coach; Klanderman was in his first year as defensive coordinator.
Dave Doeren, NC State: $10.3 Million
Dave Doeren won double-digit games in each of his two seasons at Northern Illinois before NC State brought him to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013. Despite a 98-73 record overall, Doeren never once reached 10 or more wins in 13.5 seasons in Raleigh. He did hit nine victories on four occasions, and the Wolfpack finished the season ranked three times between 2017 and 2023. But a losing season in 2024 and a shaky 3-4 start this year led to his undoing.
At 54 years old, Doeren was potentially considering retirement after this season. That would not have led to as expensive a buyout. Instead, NC State owes him $10.3 million, including $600,000 due within 30 days of his firing. The good news for the school: Doeren has a contract clause stating he must make reasonable efforts to find another job. If he lands a deal with a school, it will offset some of what NC State owes.
Mike Locksley, Maryland: $9.75 Million
Mike Locksley spent multiple seasons in College Park as Maryland’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and eventually the team’s interim coach during the 2015 season. He returned as the full-time head coach in 2019, but he struggled to maintain much consistency. The Terrapins finished 7-6, 8-5, and 8-5 in 2021, 2022, and 2023, winning the Pinstripe, Duke’s Mayo, and Music City Bowl games, respectively. Outside of those three years, the Terrapins never posted a winning season during Locksley’s tenure. He wraps up his Maryland career with a 39-54 record, including a 2-5 start this season.
Locksley got the boot after Maryland lost to Rutgers during its homecoming game. Rutgers famously began this season by losing to UMass, a school that had not won a game in nearly two full calendar years. Locksley was making $6.4 million in salary this season. Now, he will get $9.75 million from his former school. And there is no offset language in his contract, so he could potentially be making money from both Maryland and his new employer. Not a bad deal at all.
The $32 million trio does not include other firings this season, such as Penn State’s James Franklin, who was let go midway through the season after coaching the Nittany Lions to within a play or two of the national championship game in 2024. But the message is the same across college football: the buyout has become as much a part of a coach’s contract as the salary itself. For more sports money stories, see our Steve Kerr highest-paid coach story, Harry Kane net worth and Bayern vs Arsenal richest players profiles.
