Where do Hugh Freeze, Kalen DeBoer rank among college football’s largest buyouts?

The biggest college football news of the weekend came well after all the games were over in Week 9.

Sunday morning rumors turned into breaking news out of Baton Rouge as Brian Kelly was officially relieved of his head coaching duties at LSU after less than four seasons.

The reported price tag for LSU’s decision: $53.3 million.

That was the number on Brian Kelly’s buyout clause, according to a report from USA Today. Whether the school pays that full amount or not is yet to be seen but the Tigers will almost certainly pay a large chunk of money to Kelly.

And that’s not the first large buyout the college football world has seen this season, coming just months after Penn State paid $49 million to buy out coach James Franklin.

“We’re in an era of college football where literally no coach is safe. When Brian Kelly and James Franklin can get fired between a two-week period, and those are successful coaches, coaches who are losing and whose program look like they have reached rock bottom are certainly in trouble.”

Paul Finebaum at the Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club

So where do the college football coaches across Alabama rank when it comes to largest buyout clauses? Let’s find out.

College football buyout market

It wasn’t that long ago when Alabama fans were debating whether or not they should be buying out Kalen DeBoer. One woman even said she wanted to win the lottery so she could help the university pay the buyout.

DeBoer has certainly staved off that conversation and then some with seven straight wins but it’s important to note buyout clauses aren’t just there for coaches but also schools. If a coach wants to leave for a new job, the buyout often has to be paid to the school.

Meanwhile, Hugh Freeze might have saved himself from having the same fate as Brian Kelly with a win at Arkansas over the weekend.

So where do the coaches in our state rank in the college football buyout market? Let’s dive into the numbers from USA Today:

• Kalen DeBoer, Alabama: 3rd highest | $60.8 million
• Hugh Freeze, Auburn: 35th highest | $15.4 million
• Charles Kelly, Jax State: 68th highest | $3.47 million
• Trent Dilfer, UAB (fired): 74th highest | $2.81 million
• Gerad Parker, Troy: 83rd highest | $2.02 million
• Major Applewhite, South Alabama: 89th highest | $1.84 million

DeBoer is one of just eight current coaches to have a buyout clause of at least $50 million. The only two coaches with a larger buyout than DeBoer are Georgia’s Kirby Smart ($105.1 million) and Ohio State’s Ryan Day ($70.9 million).

Freeze’s buyout is almost identical to what Auburn paid when the school fired Bryan Harsin in October 2022.

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