College football's 10 largest coach buyouts of all time: Where Brian Kelly's $50 million LSU severance ranks

The Brian Kelly era at LSU is over. The Tigers fired their fourth-year coach on Sunday, less than 24 hours after a 49-25 loss to Texas A&M.

While negotiations are still ongoing between both parties, Kelly's contractual buyout of more than $50 million would be the second largest ever paid to a college football coach -- behind only Jimbo Fisher, who received more than $76 million after being fired by Texas A&M in November 2023.

Kelly is due for a massive payout after signing a 10-year contract with LSU in 2021. His salary this season was $9.4 million, and he had six years and $58.2 million remaining on his deal, which ran through 2031. The buyout language in his contract calls for him to be paid 90% of his remaining salary, which totals $52,380,000.

Three of the five largest buyouts in college football history have occurred during the 2025 season. The first major firing came when Penn State let go of James Franklin after losing to Northwestern earlier this month. Franklin's buyout ($49 million) ranks just behind Kelly's.

A week later, Florida fired Billy Napier, who is set to receive more than $21 million after going 22-23 in his three-plus seasons. Napier finished 12-16 in SEC play and 0-14 against ranked opponents away from home.

With Kelly out and LSU preparing for another coaching search, here's where his buyout ranks on the all-time list:

And then you have Billy Napier, who was fired by Florida just over a week after Franklin. Napier is set to receive a buyout of over $21 million after he went 22-23 during his tenure. Napier finished 12-16 against SEC competition and was 0-14 against ranked opponents away from home.

With Kelly fired, and LSU set to embark on a coaching search in the near future, here is where his buyout ranks on the all-time list.

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Chris Hummer

1. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M

Buyout: $76.8 million

No college football coach has made more money from a firing than Fisher. When Texas A&M dismissed the former Florida State coach six seasons into his tenure, it wasn't a surprise. The Aggies were 6-4 in his final season. Their 9-1 record during the shortened 2020 COVID season was the high point of his tenure, but the program never reached the College Football Playoff.

The Aggies took a risk by paying that much to make Fisher go away, but it appears to have paid off. Texas A&M is 8-0 and looks poised to clinch the first CFP berth in program history.

2. Brian Kelly, LSU

Buyout: $53.8 million

When LSU hired Kelly away from Notre Dame during the wild 2021 coaching cycle, it was a bold move. The Tigers hoped he could restore them to national title contention. Two seasons before his arrival, LSU won a national title under Ed Orgeron.

But the Kelly hire ultimately didn't justify the investment. LSU missed the CFP in each of his three full seasons and was on track to do so again after losing to Texas A&M. In retrospect, LSU likely regrets handing out such a massive contract for middling results.

3. James Franklin, Penn State

Buyout: $49 million

Penn State entered 2025 with national title hopes after reaching the CFP for the first time in program history the year before. The Nittany Lions returned many of their top offensive players and opened the season ranked No. 2 behind Texas in the preseason AP Top 25.

After consecutive losses to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern, the administration had seen enough. Franklin went 104-45 during his tenure but consistently underperformed against ranked opponents.

4. Gus Malzahn, Auburn

Buyout: $21.4 million

Auburn has been searching for stability since firing Malzahn in 2020. He went 68-35 overall, including 38-27 in SEC play.

After a 6-4 finish in 2020, Auburn fired Malzahn and replaced him with Bryan Harsin, who lasted just 21 games. Current coach Hugh Freeze is on the hot seat, meaning the Tigers could be paying another buyout soon.

5. Billy Napier, Florida

Buyout: $21.2 million

Napier entered 2025 on the hot seat after narrowly surviving the previous season. Florida finished 8-5 in 2024 and had momentum with star quarterback DJ Lagway taking over full time.

That optimism faded quickly. The Gators lost four of their first six games -- including to in-state rivals South Florida and Miami -- and were 3-4 when Napier was fired. Even after beating Mississippi State 23-21 to move to 2-2 in SEC play, the school decided to move on.

6. Charlie Weis, Notre Dame

Buyout: $18.9 million

Notre Dame fired Weis in 2009 after a 6-6 season. He went 35-27 overall, including a 10-win campaign in 2006.

Ironically, Notre Dame replaced Weis with Kelly, hiring him away from Cincinnati. After stints as an offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs and Florida, Weis became head coach at Kansas in 2012.

7. Willie Taggart, Florida State

Buyout: $18 million

Taggart's coaching career in the late 2010s was turbulent. He spent one season at Oregon in 2017 before leaving for Florida State, where he was fired after 21 games with a 9-12 record.

FSU dismissed Taggart midseason in 2019 after a 4-5 start. The Seminoles also failed to reach a bowl game in his first year, going 5-7.

8. Ed Orgeron, LSU

Buyout: $16.9 million

Kelly isn't the only former LSU coach on this list. Orgeron led LSU to a national title in 2019 behind Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow but was fired less than two years later.

Orgeron finished 51-20 at LSU, including back-to-back .500 seasons in 2020 and 2021. He hasn't coached since being let go nearly four years ago.

9. Tom Allen, Indiana

Buyout: $15.5 million

Some programs regret paying large buyouts; Indiana probably doesn't. The Hoosiers fired Allen after going 33-49 overall, including 2023's 3-9 campaign.

His replacement, Curt Cignetti, has transformed the program. Indiana reached the CFP for the first time and is again in the hunt this season.

10. Tom Herman, Texas

Buyout: $15.4 million

After spending four seasons with Texas, Herman was fired by the program after the 2020 campaign. Herman finished his tenure with a 32-18 record, which included a 10-win season in 2018.

Herman was replaced by Steve Sarkisian, who helped return the program back to national title contender status. The Longhorns have reached the CFP in each of the last two seasons under Sarkisian -- something the program wasn't able to do under Herman.