Kansas State’s long-running split with Jerome Tang is finally close to an end, and the price tag is still hefty.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the school and its former men’s basketball coach are finalizing a settlement that would pay Tang $12 million through the end of 2027. Kansas State fired Tang for cause in February, when he still had about $18.7 million left on his contract.
That move set off a dispute that has stretched on for more than seven months. The school’s attempt to avoid the full buyout centered on a rough closing stretch, including a 91-62 home loss to Cincinnati. After that game, Tang blasted his team in public, calling the performance “embarrassing” and questioning whether several players deserved to wear the Kansas State uniform.
Athletic director Gene Taylor later pointed to Tang’s public comments and conduct, along with the program’s overall direction, when he announced the coaching change. Tang pushed back hard against the school’s for-cause explanation and brought in attorneys, though he never ended up filing a lawsuit.
If the reported settlement is completed, Kansas State would save roughly $6.7 million from the original buyout figure while still sending a significant payout to its former coach.
Tang’s run in Manhattan finished at 71-57 over four seasons. His high point came in year one, when Kansas State reached the Elite Eight. He has since gone back to Baylor, where he is working as associate head coach under Scott Drew.
Kansas State replaced him in March by hiring former Belmont head coach Casey Alexander.
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Jerome Tang's Kansas State Split Just Got More Interesting For Baylor
Kansas States separation from Jerome Tang is moving toward a resolution, with the school and its former basketball coach nearing a $12 million settlement after his firing for cause in February. Tang had been owed more than $18 million if he had been let go without cause, so the financial gap underscores how messy the split became after a difficult season and a postgame rant helped lead to the dismissal.
For Baylor, the part that matters now is Tangs return to Waco as associate head coach. His presence adds another layer to a rivalry that already has plenty of familiarity, and the settlement chatter only makes the aftermath of Kansas States coaching change feel more consequential. The legal and financial pieces are still falling into place, but the coaching fallout has already shifted the focus to what Tangs next chapter means for the Bears. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas State Can Finally Move On From The Jerome Tang Split
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The latest step is a deal that would pay Tang $12 million by the end of 2027, trimming the remaining money from his contract and allowing both sides to put the separation behind them. Tang has already resurfaced at Baylor as an assistant coach, while Kansas State has turned the program over to Casey Alexander, who now inherits the task of moving the Wildcats forward without the unresolved business hanging over the transition. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger question now is whether Kansas State can correct the problem quickly enough to keep it from becoming a trend. Klein has already acknowledged the issues were not exactly the same from one game to the next, which makes the fix more complicated, and the Wildcats do not have much margin for error if they want to avoid a third straight outing of chasing answers against the run. [Read more 🡒]