College Football Discussion - LSU Sacks Kelly

I'm actually surprised that Sanders contract isn't horrible with only a $12m buyout in Y1 and decreasing after that.
ETA: that's for Deon to buyout. It's $34m the other way?

Post #1288 » by **humanrefutation** » Mon Oct 27, 2025 5:16 am

I don't want to hear those schools crying poverty over paying players.

Post #1289 » by **MickeyDavis** » Mon Oct 27, 2025 11:53 am

Most buyouts are simply just paying out what's left on the contract. If MLF was fired he'd be owed that. Anyone with a contract would be owed the remainder. In Kelly's case it's 90%. The problem imo is contracts that keep rolling over, they are perpetually 5,6,7 year contract. That needs to stop.

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MikeIsGood · Post #1290 » by **MikeIsGood** » Mon Oct 27, 2025 1:23 pm

MickeyDavis wrote:Most buyouts are simply just paying out what's left on the contract. If MLF was fired he'd be owed that. Anyone with a contract would be owed the remainder. In Kelly's case it's 90%. The problem imo is contracts that keep rolling over, they are perpetually 5,6,7 year contract. That needs to stop.

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This is both true and an oversimplification. It' "simply paying out what's left" for them to not do their job anymore. They pay that and give a contract to another coach to come do the job.

Post #1291 » by **MickeyDavis** » Mon Oct 27, 2025 1:25 pm

MikeIsGood wrote:
MickeyDavis wrote:Most buyouts are simply just paying out what's left on the contract. If MLF was fired he'd be owed that. Anyone with a contract would be owed the remainder. In Kelly's case it's 90%. The problem imo is contracts that keep rolling over, they are perpetually 5,6,7 year contract. That needs to stop.

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This is both true and an oversimplification. It' "simply paying out what's left" for them to not do their job anymore. They pay that and give a contract to another coach to come do the job.

Right. Same when an NFL coach gets fired. He still gets the full value of his contract and they hire another coach to take his place and pay him. The difference is NFL coaches don't get a perpetual contract and most college coaches in power 5 conferences do. Fickell having new years added to his contract given the results is a joke.

Post #1292 » by **ReasonablySober** » Mon Oct 27, 2025 1:41 pm

Apparently part of the calculus with Kelly is that in order to get his buyout he has to look for another high profile, high paying job somewhere. I'm not sure how that all works, but clearly LSU is banking on Kelly getting another bag somewhere and LSU not paying anything close to that $54 million.

BUCKnation · Post #1293 » by **BUCKnation** » Mon Oct 27, 2025 2:44 pm

The agents for these coaches have just worked AD's/Universities

Post #1294 » by **MickeyDavis** » Mon Oct 27, 2025 3:00 pm

ReasonablySober wrote:Apparently part of the calculus with Kelly is that in order to get his buyout he has to look for another high profile, high paying job somewhere. I'm not sure how that all works, but clearly LSU is banking on Kelly getting another bag somewhere and LSU not paying anything close to that $54 million.

There's an offset and it will be interesting what the language is. Could he go to a high profile job and help them out by taking a low salary, knowing he'll get the difference from LSU. Say he takes "only" $1 million from Florida or whoever. "Pay me $1 million and use the rest you would have paid me for NIL".

Post #1295 » by **ReasonablySober** » Mon Oct 27, 2025 3:14 pm

MickeyDavis wrote:
ReasonablySober wrote:Apparently part of the calculus with Kelly is that in order to get his buyout he has to look for another high profile, high paying job somewhere. I'm not sure how that all works, but clearly LSU is banking on Kelly getting another bag somewhere and LSU not paying anything close to that $54 million.

There's an offset and it will be interesting what the language is. Could he go to a high profile job and help them out by taking a low salary, knowing he'll get the difference from LSU. Say he takes "only" $1 million from Florida or whoever. "Pay me $1 million and use the rest you would have paid me for NIL".

That was my thought, but this was in the replies:

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"Worthy compensation" sounds like something LSU is gonna fight Kelly over if he decides to take a sweetheart job from his next school, if and when that happens.

Post #1296 » by **MickeyDavis** » Mon Oct 27, 2025 3:30 pm

There definitely will be lawyers involved. I don't know why it isn't more defined. Maybe that's not possible. "Your next job has to pay you at least 90% of what you are getting from us" isn't going to work.

Ron Swanson · Post #1297 » by **Ron Swanson** » Mon Oct 27, 2025 5:44 pm

Friendly reminder that Brian Kelly is an absolute scumbag who got a Notre Dame student killed, among other things (complicit in covering up a sexual assault that led to a student's suicide, numerous academic and recruiting violations, constantly throws assistants/players under the bus, etc.). I wish nothing but the absolute worst on that clown. But this business keeps rewarding scumbag people (see: Urban Meyer) so yeah, I fully expect him to get his golden parachute and/or be coaching another blue blood program very soon.

Post #1298 » by **ReasonablySober** » Mon Oct 27, 2025 6:00 pm

There are far more college football jobs on the market than quality coaches.

Probably not the year to fire LF.

DingleJerry · Post #1299 » by **DingleJerry** » Mon Oct 27, 2025 6:19 pm

MickeyDavis wrote:
MikeIsGood wrote:
MickeyDavis wrote:Most buyouts are simply just paying out what's left on the contract. If MLF was fired he'd be owed that. Anyone with a contract would be owed the remainder. In Kelly's case it's 90%. The problem imo is contracts that keep rolling over, they are perpetually 5,6,7 year contract. That needs to stop.

Read on Twitter

This is both true and an oversimplification. It' "simply paying out what's left" for them to not do their job anymore. They pay that and give a contract to another coach to come do the job.

Right. Same when an NFL coach gets fired. He still gets the full value of his contract and they hire another coach to take his place and pay him. The difference is NFL coaches don't get a perpetual contract and most college coaches in power 5 conferences do. Fickell having new years added to his contract given the results is a joke.

Generally speaking and for Fickell the automatic one year tack ons extensions don't change the buyout. The buyout is written around the initial contract. Feel free to double check that on him but I'm almost sure that is the case, and of course all contracts can be negotiated differently though.

In the hypothetical that someone actually gets to the end of their initial contract (like say Gard or the Iowa football coach) I can't say for sure, all negotiated differently I suppose. Best guess is when a major extension happens it would redo the buyout terms. Like say UW hoops wins a natty or makes a FF so rather than giving Gard the token one year extensions they give him a 10 year 80 mil extension then it would all be renegotiated then. These ADs are so dumb to have been completely raked over the coals by agents for the last 20 years

ETA: That said, assuming my memory is right on all that if they don't fire him I'd still not do the token one year extension this offseason just out of principle and the fact you'd get just trashed/mocked online for it

MikeIsGood · Post #1300 » by **MikeIsGood** » Mon Oct 27, 2025 6:36 pm

Yeah - not sure how it works for others, but that is the case for Fickell.

MikeIsGood wrote:It's 80% of the remaining value of the original contract, when it then becomes a flat rate.

+ Buyout is $25.4 million after the 2025 season
+ Buyout drops to $19.2 million after the 2026 season
+ Buyout drops to $12.8 million after the 2027 season
+ Buyout drops to $6.4 million after the 2028 season
+ Buyout drops to $6.4 million after the 2029 season
+ Buyout drops to $6.4 million after the 2030 season
+ Buyout drops to $0 after the 2031 season

Source (which I've seen multiple places): https://www.on3.com/news/luke-fickell-buyout-details-of-wisconsin-head-coach-contract/

ETA: Also agree on not giving him the token one-year add this season, and I'm indifferent to them overall. It's supposed to be a show of stability for recruits; not sure it actually makes a difference, but if it doesn't affect buy-outs I guess I also don't remotely care tbh.