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On Sunday, Auburn fired head coach Hugh Freeze after the Tigers lost to Kentucky, bringing their record to 4-5 overall, and just 1-5 in conference play.
Freeze was the fourth head coach in the SEC to lose his job mid-season—a quarter of the SEC’s teams have fired their coaches so far this year. Combined, their contract buyouts come to almost $100 million—accounting for the majority of power conference buyouts this season. (Some of these contracts are subject to duty to mitigate and offset clauses, however.)
The news is unsurprising given that the SEC is one of the richest leagues in the Power 4, and considers football its bread and butter sport. SEC programs Georgia, LSU, and Alabama have together won the majority of championships in the College Football Playoff era. But the league has gone two seasons without a national championship (with Michigan winning in 2023 and Ohio State winning in 2024), and the frustration is clearly mounting across the board.
The SEC coaching carousel began during Week 5, when Arkansas fired Sam Pittman after a miserable 56-13 loss to Notre Dame, bringing the team to 2-3. The Razorbacks owe Pittman $8.7 million in buyout money.
Three weeks later, Florida fired Billy Napier after starting the season 3-4; the Gators had just eked out a last-minute win against Mississippi State. The Gators owe Napier $21.2 million worth of a buyout, with no duty to mitigate or offset clause—meaning they owe him that money even if he gets a new job with a lucrative salary.
The biggest blockbuster firing in the SEC, however, was LSU’s Brian Kelly—a decision made Sunday night of Week 9 after a loss to Texas A&M. The Tigers were 2-3 in conference play, but 5-3 overall. The firing set off a week of chaotic events in Baton Rouge: Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry inserted himself into the coaching search process by telling reporters athletic director Scott Woodward would not lead the process. The week ended with the exit of Woodward, who himself is owed a buyout of about $6 million.
Auburn’s Freeze was the latest head coach to be fired Sunday. He’s owed $15.8 million.
The four head coaches aren’t the only ones to depart their SEC programs, however. South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer survived another day. But he fired his offensive coordinator, Mike Shula, after the Gamecocks dropped to 3-6 this season. Shula will be owed about $2.3 million.
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