In college football, a frustrated fan base can start dreaming about a coaching change fast. The problem is that dream can come with a price tag so steep it stops the conversation cold.
That’s the reality at a handful of major programs, where contract buyouts have turned the idea of firing a head coach into a financial nightmare. Here are five coaches whose deals could make moving on extremely difficult.
Dabo Swinney’s buyout was reported by USAToday last December at $60 million. Clemson has gone 11-8 over the last season and a half, and the program looks a long way from the dominant stretch it enjoyed in the late 2010s. But the cost of paying Swinney and then bringing in another big-name coach leaves Clemson boxed in until the school decides it has no choice but to absorb a huge financial hit.
Texas got a brief reprieve after its comeback win over Ole Miss, but the pressure isn’t gone. The Longhorns still have losses to Oklahoma and Florida, and one more bad result could knock them out of the College Football Playoff picture.
With Texas now facing two decades without a title, Steve Sarkisian isn’t exactly riding a wave of goodwill. His buyout is reported at just over $60 million, which makes a change far easier to imagine than to actually carry out.
At Colorado, the Coach Prime era has not held up well. Since the Travis Hunter/Shedeur Sanders team, Deion Sanders is 5-14, and the Buffaloes appear to be going nowhere. His buyout was reported at over $33 million as of late last year, a hefty number for a program that doesn’t have the added money flowing in from the Big Ten or SEC.
Mike Norvell’s situation at Florida State is hard to ignore, even after the kind of season that should have set things up differently. After a 2023 campaign in which the Seminoles just missed the four-team playoff, his team has been a train wreck.
Norvell is 10-21 since then, while Miami has become nationally competitive and Florida has started to emerge as a team worth watching. Still, he remains in place, and as of late 2025 his buyout was reportedly around $58 million.
Matt Rhule’s seat has cooled with Nebraska sitting at 5-2, but the larger picture still matters. Rhule is 24-21 with the Huskers, and it isn’t difficult to picture the administration considering a different direction. The obstacle is obvious: his buyout was reported at just under $50 million late last year.
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Holgorsen Just Made Nebraskas Offensive Priority Much Clearer
Dana Holgorsen spent part of Nebraskas bye week making the offensive priorities feel a little more straightforward. The Cornhuskers have leaned on quarterback Anthony Colandrea for steady effort and leadership even through the recent losses, and Holgorsen made it clear that he views those traits as part of the foundation. The bigger issue, at least from the coordinators perspective, is getting the offense to play cleaner and more consistently around him.
As Nebraska turns back toward game prep, the focus shifts to areas Holgorsen wants sharpened most, especially the running game and more reliable play from the receivers. Colandrea has also acknowledged he needs to elevate his own play to better help the group, which puts the burden on more than one part of the offense as the Cornhuskers try to reset coming out of the break. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas Blackout Is Becoming Something Much Bigger For Husker Fans
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The Blackout announcement was part of a broader afternoon of news around Nebraska athletics, including word that longtime Husker basketball announcer Kent Pavelka will retire after this season. For football fans, though, the annual Blackout adds another layer to a home schedule that now has a defined signature game, and one that Nebraska clearly wants to turn into a recurring part of the identity around Memorial Stadium. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Fans Face A 2027 Schedule Shakeup They Didn't Expect
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For Nebraska fans, the ripple effects could be felt well beyond the opponents list. Some nonconference games may disappear, other Power Four matchups could be added, and Memorial Stadium will also be operating with reduced seating capacity because of renovations. Put together, its a reminder that the Huskers are not only dealing with a changing postseason landscape, but also a home schedule that may look different in ways that matter to fans planning around it. [Read more 🡒]