SECโฃ Football coach Buyouts Exceed $230 Million in Recent Firings
GAINESVILLE,โค FL – The cost of coaching โchanges in the Southeastern Conference has skyrocketed, with buyouts for recentlyโข fired football coaches surpassing $230 million this โdecade. The financialโ strain highlights the high stakes and intense pressure within the โขleague, as universities increasingly invest in-andโฃ afterward pay dearly โto partโ ways with-their gridiron leaders.
The โtrend is exemplified by recent dismissals, including Dan Mullenโ atโฃ Florida and Sam Pittman at Arkansas. Mullen, who wentโ 34-15 (.694 winning percentage) in his tenure โขwithโ the gators, received aโ buyout after a 5-6 season in 2021 and a string of losses against Power Five opponents. Pittman, despite an initial upswing that culminated in a nine-win season โขand Outback โคBowl victory in 2021, โsaw his program falter, posting aโ 20-23 record since that win. While Pittman maintained aโ 3-0 bowlโ game โฃrecord, mirroring that of former LSUโข coach Ed Orgeron,โ it wasn’t enough to stave off his firing earlierโ this season.โฃ
Beyond Mullen and Pittman, meaningful buyouts have been issued to Zach Arnett at Mississippi State ($4.5 million) and derek Mason atโ Vanderbilt ($3.5 million inโค his final season,2020). notably, Jeremy Pruitt, fired fromโ Tennessee inโ 2020 amid recruitingโ violations, โคhas not received โhisโ full $12.6 million buyout and is โcurrently pursuing a โค$100 million lawsuit against โthe NCAA. Pruitt’s tenure with the Volunteers ended with a 16-19 record. These escalating figures underscore the financialโ realities of โmodern college football, where programs are willing to investโ heavily โฃin coaching talent-and absorb significant costs when those investments don’t yield desired results.
