The first coaching moves of the late-October carousel have already come with a hefty price tag.
Baylor became the third Power Four school to make a change on Sunday, dismissing Dave Aranda after seven seasons. It followed Maryland and NC State into the market, and each school now faces a sizable bill to move on.
At Baylor, the decision came after losses to TCU and Kansas. Aranda had steadied things with a 4-1 start, but that early surge didn’t last.
Because Baylor is a private school, its coaching contract details aren’t publicly released the way they are at public programs. Even so, the buyout has been believed to be around $12 million since last season, and Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported the same figure for this year’s cost.
Among the names linked to the opening are Boise State’s Spencer Danielson and UTSA’s Jeff Traylor.
Maryland was first to pull the trigger, firing Mike Locksley on Wednesday after a 2-5 start. That stretch included losses to Rutgers, Virginia Tech and UCLA.
Locksley went 39-54 in eight seasons, and the school owes him about $9.75 million, with no offsets if he lands another job. Half of that total is due within sixty days.
Maryland had him under contract through 2028. Potential replacements mentioned include Wake Forest’s Jake Dickert, New Mexico’s Jason Eck and Memphis’ Charles Huff.
NC State made its move on Saturday afternoon, ending Dave Doeren’s 14-year run in Raleigh. The school will pay approximately $10.3 million to buy out the rest of a deal that was set to run through 2029.
NC State owes a little more than $600,000 within the next 30 days, then can spread the rest out in monthly installments. Doeren is 54, and his contract requires him to make reasonable efforts to find another job, which could reduce what the school ultimately has to pay.
In Other News...
Baylor's Coaching Search Could Create An Awkward Houston Problem
Baylors decision to move on from Dave Aranda after seven seasons has already started a search that could ripple beyond Waco and into Houston. Athletic director Doug McNamee said a change in leadership was necessary, and with the coaching carousel now in motion, the Bears are expected to look at a range of candidates as they try to reset the program.
For Houston, the interest is in whether that search reaches into its own staff. Slade Nagles name is among the possibilities Baylor could explore, which would turn a neighboring Big 12 job hunt into an awkward development for the Cougars if it gains traction. For now, it remains part of a speculative list, but it is the kind of link that makes a coaching vacancy worth watching well beyond the school that opened it. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Just Raised A Brutal Question About Its Big 12 Hopes
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The bigger concern is how thin the attack looked while trying to navigate injuries to key pieces. Houston had to work around quarterback Conner Weigman and tight end Patrick Overmyer, and both absences showed up in the rhythm and flexibility of the offense. Utah, meanwhile, leaned on Devon Dampiers legs to tilt the game, and now Houston is left with an uncomfortable question about how much room it has for error if it wants to stay in the Big 12 hunt. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Just Added To The Pressure On BYU In The Big 12
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Devon Dampier helped spark the turnaround with his legs and arm, guiding the scoring drives that flipped the game in Utahs favor. The result keeps Utah firmly in the Big 12 race even if it still projects to sit behind BYU in the league pecking order, and it adds a little more pressure to a conference picture that is getting tighter by the week. [Read more 🡒]