College football coaches have seen their income skyrocket over the years.
In 1994-95, coaches in the Big Ten Conference earned an average base salary of $132,800. In 2022, the lowest-paid Big Ten coach reeled $4 million, while the highest-paid topped $9.5 million. Coaches in the SEC and other conferences similarly pull in millions upon millions.
Still, even as coaching salaries have exploded, one coach's contract stands out.
Head coach Jimbo Fisher is likely destined for the College Football Hall of Fame after guiding Florida State to a national football title in 2013. Yet Fisher, now at Texas A&M, is drawing a lot of heat with a record that many feel doesn't measure up to his gargantuan contract. In 2017, Fisher signed a 10-year $75 million 10-year contract, then likely the richest such deal ever inked. In 2021, the contract was renegotiated to $95 million over ten years.
Fisher has assembled a respectable record, guiding the Aggies to a 44-22 record (as of Sept. 28, 2022) and a top five finish in 2020. Still, the Aggies brought Fisher in with national championship aspirations. Now, more fans and analysts question whether Fisher can bring a national championship to College Station. But hot seat or not, Fisher might be unfireable due to the massive contract buyout cost.
When most coaches are relieved of duty partway through their contract, the buyout amounts to only a portion of their contract's full remaining value. Consider Alabama coach Nick Saban, one of the greatest coaches of all time with seven national championships under his belt. He earns roughly $11.7 million per year and his contract runs through 2030. However, his buyout amounts to about $43 million — just over half of the remaining value of his contract. Texas A&M, on the other hand, fully guaranteed Fisher's contract, which leaves them on the hook for roughly $75 million if they let him go.
