The college football coaching hot seat is officially scorching, and it’s not just about wins and losses anymore. On Monday, U.S. Senators, from Maria Cantwell to Ted Cruz, were on the floor debating the “Protect College Sports Act,” and a huge part of that talk was the wild money universities spend firing coaches. Senator Cory Booker dropped a bombshell, telling everyone that in 2025 alone, a quarter of a billion dollars, yep, $250 million, went to 15 fired coaches just for them to NOT coach. He even tried to cap buyouts at one year’s salary, but it didn’t pass. Insane.
The Money Machine That Just Keeps Rolling
Seriously, this buyout money is out of control. An industry insider actually said this might be the year “buyouts save a bunch of coaches,” but come on, schools have proven they’ll pay ANY amount to ditch a losing coach. Last year, universities committed a record-breaking $220 million in buyout payments. We’re talking about the second, third, and fourth-highest buyouts in history happening just last season alone: Brian Kelly got $53 million, James Franklin nabbed $49 million, and Billy Napier walked away with $21 million. Now, with Week Five here, there are at least a half-dozen coaches on “Hot Seat Watch,” and the buyouts for two of them in Tallahassee and Los Angeles already total about $110 million. You hear that? One hundred and ten million bucks!
Riley’s Seat Is Practically On Fire at USC
Lincoln Riley at USC is in the thick of it, and his buyout is sitting around $60 million. He’s got a 39-19 record in five seasons, which sounds okay, but his current season? Woof. A “lowly performance at Rutgers” and then losing at home to Oregon, with the Ducks playing the entire second half without their star QB Dante Moore, just tells you everything. Nobody thinks a playoff trip is happening for USC this year. And look at this schedule: they host Ohio State on Halloween, then travel to defending national champion Indiana. Plus, road games against Penn State, Wisconsin, and UCLA are all “problems” waiting to happen. USC’s AD, Jen Cohen, who used to be AD at Washington, has poured so many resources into that program, her frustration must be through the roof. The big question is, would she even consider calling up Kalen DeBoer? That’s what people are wondering.
Beamer’s Gamecocks Are Just Trying To Stay Afloat
Over at South Carolina, Shane Beamer’s situation isn’t looking much better, though his buyout is “only” $22-24 million. The Gamecocks are seriously looking at their third losing season in the last four years. A “blowout loss at Alabama” definitely didn’t help, and then there was all that “drama that ensued involving standout edge rusher Dylan Stewart.” Beamer’s just three games above .500 in his sixth season in Columbia. Is it a program where you should expect a championship every single year? Probably not, but losing records definitely won’t cut it. This college football season is already wild, and it’s only Week Five. The money is massive, the pressure is real, and it feels like the coaching carousel is about to spin faster than ever.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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