Main Story: A coach’s advertised buyout can exaggerate what a school ultimately pays. At smaller Group of Six programs, mitigation clauses can cut payments when a coach lands another job, but firing decisions also hinge on tight budgets, ticket revenue, fan interest and whether keeping a struggling coach costs more than making a change.

By the Numbers
  • Sam Houston owes Phil Longo about $1.53 million in remaining salary, plus $50,000 in supplemental income.
  • Longo’s 2025 salary was $725,000; his contract’s maximum compensation was $950,000.
  • The median Group of Six athletic department budget is about $44 million; Sam Houston’s fiscal 2025 expenses were $42 million.
  • Estimated single-game ticket revenue at some Group of Six schools ranges from $150,000 to $225,000 per game.
Yes, But

Offset clauses can substantially reduce a school’s bill, but they don’t guarantee a clean or simple resolution. Schools may scrutinize a coach’s new contract, and one agent said a school sought a client’s tax returns to verify income. Meanwhile, even a manageable buyout can be hard to absorb when budgets are limited.

Bottom Line

The real cost of firing a coach is not just the buyout on paper: it’s the amount the school actually owes after offsets, weighed against the revenue and momentum it could lose by waiting.