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The college football coaching carousel was unusually quiet through mid-October, but as the month ends, firings have begun, and the buyout money is adding up.
On Saturday evening, North Carolina State fired head coach Dave Doeren after 14 seasons at the helm. His firing comes less than 24 hours after the Wolfpack lost 31-28 to Stanford on the road Friday night, falling to 3-4 and 1-3 in the ACC.
“I want to thank Coach Doeren for his service and contributions to NC State, and for always representing the university with pride,” athletic director Boo Corrigan said in a statement. “I appreciate his leadership during his 14-year tenure and the passion he brought to this role. We wish Dave, Sara and his family the best in the future.”
Doeren’s $9.75 million buyout is what NC State will pay to move on. It’s the second coaching move this week. Maryland fired coach Mike Locksley on Wednesday.
The Terps fired Locksley seven games into his eighth season in College Park. Locksley posted a 2–5 record after consecutive 4–8 seasons in 2024 and 2025. He leaves Maryland with a 39–54 overall record. Following his firing, Locksley is owed nearly $10 million from his deal. A reported $4.9 million, which represents 50% of his buyout, is due in a lump sum within 60 days of termination.
This is the first season since 2019—excluding the COVID-19-affected 2020 season—that no FBS coaches were fired before Oct. 1. On average, two coaches have been fired before October each season within that timespan.
Last year, eight FBS coaches were fired before Oct. 21: DeShaun Foster (UCLA), Brent Pry (Virginia Tech), Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State), Sam Pittman (Arkansas), Trent Dilfer (UAB), James Franklin (Penn State), Billy Napier (Florida) and Jay Norvell (Colorado State), which totaled more than $60 million in buyout money.
At nearly $20 million in one week, the coaching carousel is underway.
Week 8
- Maryland: $9.8 million to Mike Locksley
- NC State: $9.75 million to Dave Doeren
On the hot seat
As the season progresses into November, there are several coaches facing increased pressure and could be fired in-season depending on future results.
- Baylor: Dave Aranda ($12.9 million)
- Florida State: Mike Norvell (about $47 million)
- Rutgers: Greg Schiano ($18.5 million)
Since the College Football Playoff’s inception in 2014, the amount of buyout money has approached $1 billion, according to estimates by Front Office Sports.
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