132. Coaching Buyouts: Smart Strategy or Expensive Panic?

AJ Maestas and Charles Rolston break down the ROI metrics behind the (seemingly) crazy trend of expensive coaching buyouts in college football. They explore the economic and political factors at play that lead to these decisions for athletic directors and university presidents.

The right coaching hire can yield an incremental $20M - $35M per year for a football program, so there's a lot to lose by keeping a losing coach on staff. However, would it make more sense to take the money you'd otherwise use for a buyout and invest it in NIL?

Drawing on Navigate's work advising ADs and presidents while these factors are being weighed, AJ and Charles dissect the economics and decision-making pressures driving this high-stakes trend.

Timestamps:

• 0:45 - The ROI of firing your coach
• 5:00 - Spend on NIL or spend on a coach?
• 8:05 - Aligning AD incentives
• 16:40 - Legislation for everything ("good luck")

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