SEC programs must pay $100M+ in college football head coach buyouts

Athletic departments across the Southeastern Conference are facing a staggering bill for personnel decisions made this autumn. With the regular season concluded, the league must pay over $137 million in severance packages to dismissed football coaches, according to Front Office Sports.

This figure represents a historic level of administrative turnover, with more than one-third of the member institutions changing leadership before December. The exorbitant cost of failure has become a defining characteristic of the 2025 campaign as schools prioritize future success over financial caution.

The coaching carousel spun rapidly, with 25 percent of the programs terminating their head coach during the actual season. By the Sunday following the final games, five vacancies were already being filled at a rapid pace, until the Kentucky Wildcats reportedly joined the mix late that night.

The movement included a major shakeup involving Lane Kiffin leaving the Ole Miss Rebels for the LSU Tigers, a move that triggered immediate internal promotions in Oxford.

The Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators and Kentucky are among the schools collectively facing roughly $83 million in penalties for these moves. When combined with the situation in Baton Rouge, the sheer volume of cash required to reset these sidelines is unprecedented.

The urgency to win has forced athletic directors to spend heavily to remove coaches who fell short of championship standards.

The most expensive transaction is Brian Kelly’s exit. LSU agreed to a settlement that pays the former coach the full $54 million value of his contract, following a tenure that lasted three and a half seasons.

This decision came after the Tigers suffered a humiliating home defeat against the Texas A&M Aggies. Kelly had posted strong records previously but failed to meet the lofty expectations set by athletic director Scott Woodward. His departure package sits second only to the record-setting $77.5 million owed to Jimbo Fisher by the Aggies in 2023.

Florida also made a costly move by dismissing Billy Napier on October 19. The university owes approximately $21.5 million to the coach who struggled to gain traction in Gainesville. Napier’s tenure unraveled after convincing losses to the Miami Hurricanes and other conference rivals. To replace him, the Gators hired Jon Sumrall away from the Tulane Green Wave.

Auburn made changes as well by firing Hugh Freeze on November 2 and hiring Alex Golesh from the South Florida Bulls. Arkansas moved on from Sam Pittman in late September and selected Ryan Silverfield from the Memphis Tigers.

The frantic pace of hiring ensures most programs will have leadership in place for the early signing period. Ole Miss acted swiftly upon Kiffin’s exit by promoting defensive coordinator Pete Golding to the top spot.

Meanwhile, in other conferences, the transition period features a unique twist regarding postseason availability. Incoming Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Eric Morris will remain with the North Texas Mean Green for their conference championship and any potential College Football Playoff run. Sumrall will also coach the Green Wave in the same title game and subsequent playoff matchups before fully transitioning to Florida.