As we approach the halfway point of the college football regular season, yet another head coach has been fired. James Franklin, Penn State’s football head coach since 2014, was fired earlier this week.[1] DeShaun Foster from UCLA, Mike Gundy from Oklahoma, Sam Pittman from Arkansas, Brent Pry from Virginia Tech, and most recently Billy Napier from the University of Florida and Mike Norvell from Colorado State are among the head coaches who have been fired from Division 1 football this season.[2] While this may become a trend in the modern era of college football, it comes at a price. These mid-season firings come with a costly contract buyout. So far, nine FBS head coaches have been fired, and the total buyout cost for these dismissals exceeds $100 million, reaching roughly $116 million.[3]
Franklin is owed nearly $50 million in buyout money, one of the largest in college sports.[4] His 2021 contract extension included a provision that would offset Penn State’s payments to him by the total compensation earned by Franklin at his next place of employment. Franklin has a duty to mitigate, where he must “diligently search for and make a good faith effort to obtain another position appropriate for his skill set,” and he must “make good faith efforts to obtain the maximum reasonable salary” at his new job. Simply put, his new salary will offset the buyout, and Penn State will only owe him the difference between his new salary and the buyout.[5]
The question that remains is how Penn State would fund this buyout. Penn State has commented that this buyout will come from athletics, not the university’s general funds. They have also denied comments speculating that Adidas was behind the firing of Franklin and would fund the buyout.[6] Typically, buyouts are funded by athletic departments, and these funds may come from boosters, conference payouts, postseason participation, and broadcast money.[7] However, Penn State has not provided specifics on how the athletics department will fund this buyout. Future updates will explore Coach Franklin’s next move, along with how Penn State will fund his buyout.
Meanwhile, Florida’s Coach Napier was fired following a recent win against Mississippi State.[8] Napier will receive a buyout of roughly $21.2 million, with 50% to be paid within the next thirty days, and the remainder paid in annual installments until 2029. Unlike Franklin’s contract, Napier’s deal does not include any offset or mitigating language, so he will receive his entire buyout regardless of future employment.[9]
As college athletics enter a new era of revenue sharing and NIL, the rapid dismissal of coaches may become a new normal. Athletic departments are under pressure to maximize revenue, so they can share it with their athletes. If teams are not doing well, they do not bring in as much revenue to the school. Schools have to act fast to prevent irreversible damage, and firing the head coach is sometimes the best option. While coaches once stood as the central figures of college football, that dynamic is changing in the modern era of college athletics.[10] With the growing nature of the transfer portal, this puts more pressure on coaches, another factor impacting their job security. As coaches’ jobs may be at risk, this will prompt coaches to negotiate contracts with higher buyouts to protect them in these situations.[11]
Coach Franklin must now diligently search for a new job, which may not prove too difficult considering the several openings for Division 1 football head coaches. As the football season progresses, expect more firings of head coaches and potentially in other revenue-generating sports as institutions continue adapting to the evolving economics of college athletics.
[1] The Memo, Florida, Colorado State Firings Push CFB Buyouts Past $100M, Front Office Sports (October 20, 2025)
[2] Amanda Christovich, Penn State Could Owe James Franklin Very Little of Buyout, Front Office Sports (October 13, 2025)
[3] Id. Supra note 1.
[4] Id.
[5] Id.
[6] Paul Steinbach, James Franklin’s Penn State Buyout to Be Paid by Athletics Department, No adidas Involvement, Athletic Business (October 14, 2025)
[7] John Lloyd, The Importance of the Buyout for College Football Coaches, Sportico (September 28, 2022)
[8] Graham Hall, A look at Billy Napier’s buyout: What Florida owes its former head coach, 247 Sports (October 19, 2025)
[9] Id.
[10] King Jemison, What James Franklin’s firing and $50M Penn State buyout say about the shifting college football landscape, Lancaster Online (October 17, 2025)
[11] Id.
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