The Five Worst Coaching Contracts in Recent History

By Brett Daniels

Oklahoma recently gave Head Coach Brent Venables a 6 year/51.6-million-dollar contract after a 16-10 record in two seasons at the school. Signing coaches to large extensions early in their tenure at a school has become a common occurrence that doesn’t always work out the way it was intended. A new coach will get an extension or new contract for a few reasons: to reward past success, to get ahead of the market and sign the coach long term at a pay rate favorable to the school, or to deter other schools from poaching the coach with a bigger compensation package. Since Venables hasn’t been at OU long enough to be rewarded for success and there aren’t any other schools inquiring about his services (at least publicly) we can only assume AD Joe Castiglione was looking to save money in the future by signing Venables to what would eventually be a university friendly deal. Even though this was a surprising extension it doesn’t rank among the five worst coaching contracts. We won’t know if this was a good or bad decision until we see how the Sooners perform in the SEC over the next few seasons.

Charlie Weis (Notre Dame 2005-2009)

Weis was introduced as the new Head Coach of the Fighting Irish on December 12, 2004, replacing Tyrone Willingham who logged a 21-15 record over 3 seasons. Weis initially signed a 6 year/12-million-dollar contract when he was hired. After starting the 2005 season 5-2, Weis was signed to a 10-year extensionvalued between 30 and 40 million dollars with incentives. The Irish would finish the year 9-3 with a loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. 2006 was an even better year as the Irish would finish 10-2 but again lose the bowl game this time to LSU. Despite lofty expectations entering the 2007 season, the Irish would only manage a 3-9 record losing to Navy for the first time in 43 years. Two seasons of 6-6 in 2008 and 2009 spelled the end for “Mr. Decided Schematic Advantage” in South Bend. After firing Weis on November 30, 2009, Notre Dame was on the hook for a $19 million dollar buyout of a contract that was scheduled to run until 2015.

Jimbo Fisher (Texas A&M 2018-2023)

After winning the National Championship at Florida State in 2014 and making the College Football Playoff in 2015 many assumed that Fisher would be at FSU for the long haul. However, a few years of declining competitiveness and a perceived lack of resources led Fisher to Texas A&M. At the press conference introducing Fisher as the new A&M coach he was presented with a plaque that read “Texas A&M, National Champions” with the date to be filled in later. The Aggies signed Fisher to at the time the most lucrative contract in College Football history at 10 years/75 million dollars all guaranteed. The 2018 (9-4) and 2019 (7-5) seasons weren’t improvements over the last coaching staff but in the COVID shortened season of 2020 the Aggies finished 9-1 and ranked 5 ^th in the final College Football Playoff Rankings. The Aggies took a step back in 2021 posting an 8-4 record which was good enough to get Fisher a 10 year/95-million-dollar extension. The 2022 recruiting class finished #1 and was the highest ranked class in the history of the recruiting services era. Big things were expected from the Aggies in 2022, they finally had the talent to go along with the coaching. It was time to compete for championships. The 2022 season turned out to be a complete disaster with injuries and rumors of locker room infighting leading the team to limp to a 5-7 record. Many were calling for Fisher’s job during and after the season just one year after the massive extension. 2023 started out poorly and Fisher was fired midway through the season. Texas A&M will pay out a $76 million buyout on a contract that will run through the 2031 season.

Gus Malzahn (Auburn 2013-2020)

Malzahn was the offensive coordinator for the 2010 Auburn National Championship team, and after two lackluster seasons, he replaced Gene Chizik as head coach in 2013. The Tigers experienced immediate success in the 2013 season winning an SEC Championship and making the BCS National Championship game. This success was assisted by two of the most iconic plays in college football history: the “Prayer at Jordan-Hare” to beat Georgia , and two weeks later the “Kick Six” to beat Alabama .

After leading Auburn to an 8-5 record, Malzahn and the Tigers followed that up with two straight 7-6 seasons. This sparked some grumbling among the Auburn faithful. The 2017 season began with Malzahn firmly on the hot seat after an early loss to Clemson and a close call against LSU in Death Valley. In a fashion similar to 2013, the Tigers displayed resilience, pulling off upsets against the #1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs (40-17) and Alabama Crimson Tide (26-14) within a three-week span. This time, however, there was no need for trick plays. Despite the impressive victories, Auburn fell short in the SEC Championship rematch against Georgia (28-7). Following the season, Malzahn signed a lucrative seven-year, $49 million contract extension, partly fueled by rumors of Auburn fending off advances from Arkansas , who were looking to replace Chad Morris . However, the success wasn’t sustained. The Tigers finished 7-5 and 9-3 in the following two seasons, and a shortened 2020 campaign resulted in a 6-4 record. Ultimately, Malzahn’s tenure ended after the 2020 season, with Auburn paying a then-record $21.45 million buyout.

Mel Tucker (Michigan State 2020-2023)

Tucker was only at Colorado for one season before jumping to greener pastures at Michigan State . Initially Tucker signed a 6 year/15.5-million-dollar contract in 2020 where the Spartans went 2-5 in the COVID shortened season. 2021 saw Michigan State get off to a hot start including a win over hated in-state rival Michigan 37-33. This inexplicable loss to Purdue likely dashed the Spartans' College Football Playoff hopes. After a bounce back win against Maryland the next week the Spartans once again found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard losing to Ohio State. After the game Michigan State rewarded Tucker with a 10 year/95-million-dollar extension. The Spartans would go on to beat Pitt in the Peach Bowl and set up high expectations for 2022. Unfortunately for Tucker and the Spartans 2022 proved to be a large step back at 5-7 including a 4-game losing streak in the middle of the season. The 2023 season didn’t start off much better and saw the Spartans at 2-2 when news of sexual misconduct involving Tucker surfaced. After an investigation, Tucker was terminated with cause which means Michigan State does not owe him any of the remaining money left on his contract (approximately $72 million). Tucker is suing the school for wrongful termination to recoup some of the buyout.

Lincoln Riley (USC 2021-Present)

This one might come as a surprise to some as Riley has been extremely successful on offense and developing Heisman winning and 1st round draft pick quarterbacks. While Riley's offensive prowess is undeniable, some argue that his teams haven't achieved ultimate success due to defensive shortcomings. This was evident during his stints at Oklahoma and USC, where teams often fell short in championship chases despite high-powered offenses. Bringing over DC D’Anton Lynn from rival UCLA after finally (FINALLY!) parting ways with Alex Grinch will hopefully be a step in the right direction after years of neglecting the defensive side of the ball. Since USC is a private institution, the exact details of Riley's contract aren't publicly available, but estimates suggest it's a 10-year deal worth $110 million – a significant investment that reflects Riley's offensive capabilities but also raises questions about his ability to deliver a National Championship.