The coaching carousel is finally moving, and with every new firing comes the same uncomfortable question: what does it cost to clean house?
Baylor became the third Power Four school to make the move when it dismissed Dave Aranda on Sunday, joining North Carolina State and Maryland in a late-October shakeup that has put some hefty buyouts front and center. The money attached to each decision is steep, and in two of the three cases, the schools are staring at seven-figure obligations almost immediately.
At Baylor, Aranda’s exit came after seven seasons and back-to-back losses to TCU and Kansas. The Bears had briefly steadied things with a 4-1 start, but that didn’t save him.
Because Baylor is a private school, its contracts aren’t public in the same way as those at public universities, but the buyout was believed to be about $12 million last season. Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported that the figure remains the same this year.
The Bears now move into the search phase, with Boise State’s Spencer Danielson and UTSA’s Jeff Traylor among the candidates being discussed as possible replacements.
Maryland was the first to light the fuse on Wednesday, firing Mike Locksley after a 2-5 start that included losses to Rutgers, Virginia Tech and UCLA. Locksley went 39-54 in eight seasons and was under contract through 2028.
The school owes him about $9.75 million, with no offset if he lands another job. Half of that money is due within 60 days.
NC State followed with a rare Saturday afternoon firing, cutting ties with Dave Doeren after 14 seasons. There had been talk before the season that this could be his last year in Raleigh, though that was tied to a possible retirement rather than a firing.
Instead, the Wolfpack are on the hook for roughly $10.3 million to cover the rest of a deal that ran through 2029. Doeren is due a little more than $600,000 within the next 30 days, and the rest can be paid in monthly installments.
His contract also requires him to make reasonable efforts to find another job, which could reduce what NC State ultimately owes.
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The opening has naturally stirred debate over who might be next to guide that side of the program. One name being floated is former Arizona Cardinals GM Steve Keim, though there has been no official confirmation that he wants the position or that NC State is ready to move in that direction. For a program looking to stabilize and sharpen its football operation, the search now becomes as interesting as the firing itself. [Read more 🡒]