Why would a school pay a recently fired head coach a big salary?

[matt]

What incentive do you have to pay them a big salary?

PSU was on the hook for $49 million for James Franklin which would be offset by future earnings. Could Virginia Tech underpay him a semi-reasonable salary (say $2m per year) and then use the extra $4m of head coach budget to get top tier coordinators and assistants?

Franklin would be getting topped up by PSU, and he would have a very strong assistant budget. Plus, the school doesn’t have to pay a buyout to hire a sitting coach. It’s a win-win for everyone except the idiot ADs hiring and firing with big contracts.

 

[gopherphil]

I was actually kinda wondering that myself… and if someone owes me 49 million I’m done with coaching… Its what James Franklin is made of, I guess.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

I figured the contract would have some stipulation on that. Here's what AI says:

Yes, under the terms of his contract, James Franklin had a
"duty to mitigate" which required him to make a good faith effort to seek a new job at a market-appropriate salary. His new earnings would offset the original buyout amount Penn State owed him.

 

[Ope3]

I figured the contract would have some stipulation on that. Here's what AI says:

Based on that, just a guess Va Tech has to pay Franklin roughly the same amount as the previous coach who just got axed.

 

[Gophergrandpa]

I figured the contract would have some stipulation on that. Here's what AI says:

If VT paid Franklin at the low end of normal coaches salaries in the conference, it seems that PSU would have to top him off every year. I think if Franklin wanted to change his lifestyle, move out west and coach Montana for $1.5M, PSU might still have to send him a big check every year for the term of his contract--though PSU might argue that, by not going to a P4 school (despite offers from them), Franklin had failed in his duty to mitigate PSU's damages. Sometimes these things get negotiated with a single, lump-sum payment agreeable to both sides, that ends the ongoing issue of mitigation and other contractual provisions.

 

[MaxyJR1]

His coaches pool is $4M than MN.

 

[btowngopher]

What incentive is there for Franklin to take less than he can make?

 

[Spaulding!No!]

What incentive is there for Franklin to take less than he can make?

Taxes…maybe

 

[Gopherchase]

His coaches pool is $4M than MN.

No.

 

[USAF]

Taxes…maybe

Explain that.

 

[Arnold Babar]

What incentive is there for Franklin to take less than he can make?

His buyout language on the contract from Penn St may say something like, "Buyout will be reduced by any amount over $4 million/yr at new school"

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

His coaches pool is $4M than MN.

The crux of our coordinaters

 

[Gopherchase]

The crux of our coordinaters

If PJ hired more experienced coaches, he could probably pay another 3 million within his budget. He just doesn’t have to with this staff of never have beens.

 

[LeftofThaDial]

The language in the contract stated that for him to receive the 49 million he had to prove he was seeking employment as a coach or football media. If he took another job in those fields he would be paid the difference as long as the new job is market value.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

If PJ hired more experienced coaches, he could probably pay another 3 million within his budget. He just doesn’t have to with this staff of never have beens.

There needs to be a way to get that cash somehow

 

[PMWinSTP]

Found this...
James Franklin's new five-year deal with Virginia Tech is worth at least $41.75 million, with an average annual salary of $8.2 million. His salary is expected to start at $5 million per year for the first three years, increasing to $12 million in the fourth year and $13 million in the fifth year.

Looks like they did take advantage of buy-out pay.

 

[GoldMedalCounty]

Can we hire a situational/analytics coach so the timeout usage resembles the modern game? The latest example is today when he let 15 seconds burn off before taking a timeout with 51 seconds left.

 

[howeda7]

What incentive do you have to pay them a big salary?

PSU was on the hook for $49 million for James Franklin which would be offset by future earnings. Could Virginia Tech underpay him a semi-reasonable salary (say $2m per year) and then use the extra $4m of head coach budget to get top tier coordinators and assistants?

Franklin would be getting topped up by PSU, and he would have a very strong assistant budget. Plus, the school doesn’t have to pay a buyout to hire a sitting coach. It’s a win-win for everyone except the idiot ADs hiring and firing with big contracts.

No. And that's why the buyout is almost always renegotiated. Franklin settled for $9 million from Penn State and his full market value from VT. No one wants to coach for free.

 

[Ope3]

Can we hire a situational/analytics coach so the timeout usage resembles the modern game? The latest example is today when he let 15 seconds burn off before taking a timeout with 51 seconds left.

It worked!

 

[howeda7]

Can we hire a situational/analytics coach so the timeout usage resembles the modern game? The latest example is today when he let 15 seconds burn off before taking a timeout with 51 seconds left.

All you need is a student intern who's good at Madden. Why every team doesn't have a coach for this is beyond me. All head coaches seem bad at it sometimes. They have too much going on.

 

[GoldMedalCounty]

It worked!

I’m sure some alcoholic made it home from the bar last night too!

 

[PMWinSTP]

I’m sure some alcoholic made it home from the bar last night too!

So most don't?

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Explain that.

Idk maybe. Large payout gets hammered.