Head coach firings hits a new record in 2025 college football season

Another Sunday in the college football season and one more name gets added to the list of fired coaches. Auburn's Hugh Freeze is the latest to be dismissed. His tenure on The Plains ends after three years with a $15.8 million buyout. 

Freeze is the 11th FBS coach fired, which is an in-season record. Massive buyouts for fired coaches are exposing the financial fragility behind college football’s billion-dollar spectacle. The overall total is now up to $183.5 million for an average of $16.6 million per coach. 

In recent weeks, universities have dismissed high-profile coaches—including LSU's Brian Kelly and Penn State's James Franklin— leaving athletic departments on the hook for tens of millions of dollars. 

No College Football coach is safe❌ #backtobacktobacktoback https://t.co/8VuHakqD2b pic.twitter.com/WsmpjguXE1

At LSU, Kelly’s termination triggered a $53 million payout, sparking public outrage and a sharp rebuke from state officials: “The money does not exist,” an LSU board member admitted. The number was reportedly cut in half, but at $26 million, that's still a large lump sum. 

The numbers behind the crisis

The scale of the buyout problem is staggering. In just one month, multiple programs
collectively owed millions to outgoing coaches. Coordinators and assistants add to the bottom line as well. Making coaching changes a multi-tiered financial burden.

Fired college football coaches in 2025

• LSU Tigers: Brian Kelly $54M
• Penn State Nittany Lions: James Franklin $49M
• Florida Gators: Billy Napier $21.4M
• Auburn Tigers: Hugh Freeze $15.8M
• Oklahoma State Cowboys: Mike Gundy $15M
• Arkansas Razorbacks: Sam Pittman $9.8M
• Virginia Tech Hokies: Brent Pry $6.8M
• UCLA Bruins: DeShaun Foster $6M
• Oregon State Beavers: Trent Bray $4M
• UAB Blazers: Trent Dilfer $3M
• Colorado State Rams: Jay Norvell $1.5M

*Coordinators and assistants: $500,000 – $3 million each, depending on contract

Meanwhile, new regulations requiring revenue-sharing with athletes have added tens of
millions in annual costs, squeezing budgets further.

Over the past decade, football spending has far outpaced revenue growth. Some programs
increased expenditures by over 100%, while ticket sales and donations grew by far less.
Salaries for head coaches and staff have ballooned, with many contracts fully guaranteed,
leaving little flexibility if a coach lands a new job elsewhere. As one LSU board member put it, “It’s like being divorced and paying alimony—you’re rooting for them to get remarried.” 

College football’s race to the top is thrilling, but it comes at a steep cost. For fans and
taxpayers alike, the question remains: how much glory is too expensive?