LSU Football: How much is Ed Orgeron’s buyout?
By Zach Ragan
If LSU football chooses to part ways with head coach Ed Orgeron at any point this year, it won’t be cheap.
Orgeron signed a six-year extension worth more than $42 million in early 2020.
The contract extension came after Coach O led the Tigers to a 15-0 record in 2019, which included a win in the national championship game against the Clemson Tigers.
A pay raise for Orgeron also means a large buyout, which could be an expensive problem for LSU.
How much is Ed Orgeron’s buyout if LSU football fires him?
According to information from The Advocate, LSU would owe Coach O “70 percent of the salary remaining on the entire contract”.
Orgeron’s current contract runs through the end of 2025. That means LSU would owe Orgeron about $21 million. Those payments would be made in equal monthly installments through the end of the terms of the contract.
That’s a lot of cash to fire a coach. But it’s about the same amount that Auburn paid Gus Malzahn to leave after the 2020 season.
(Another recent large buyout for an SEC head coach was the $15 million that South Carolina had to pay Will Muschamp to fire him after the 2020 season.)
Ultimately, the buyout probably won’t factor into any decision. If LSU wants to move on from Orgeron, they will — regardless of how much it costs.
Remember, Tigers athletic director Scott Woodward didn’t hire Orgeron. This isn’t his guy. I think that means he’ll be a little quicker to cut ties with Orgeron and start the search for his choice to lead the LSU football program.
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It all hinges on the rest of this season. If LSU wins fewer than eight games this season (which is possible with the Tigers’ tough remaining schedule), then I could definitely see the program moving on from Coach O.