A high-profile, generational, potentially-fast coaching search is underway at the University of Alabama in the wake of Nick Saban announcing his retirement Thursday afternoon after 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa.
Invariably, a number of former Saban assistants have been floated as potential successors, one of which is Steve Sarkisian. The Texas head coach spent the 2016 season as an analyst under Saban and later served as the offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020. The 2020 season resulted in the College Football Playoff National Championship, which helped fuel Sarkisian’s departure to Texas.
In these times, where names are bandied about, often for no other reason than they’re branches on the outgoing guy’s coaching tree, it is worth taking a look at contracts. Specifically, what the buyout figure looks like, because the buyout figure is sometimes a roadblock to hiring the next guy.
What are the general terms of Steve Sarkisian’s contract?
Upon arrival in Austin, Sarkisian signed a six-year, $34.2 million deal.
Sarkisian’s annual salary began at $5.2 million for the 2021 season, with $200,000 escalators through the life of the deal. In 2023, Sarkisian made $5.6 million. The final year of the deal in 2026 currently has him scheduled to make $6.2 million.
The maximum amount of bonuses Sarkisian can earn in a given year is $825,000. In 2023, he earned $300,000 in bonuses by virtue of advancing to the Big 12 championship game, winning it, and making the College Football Playoff.
What is Sarkisian’s buyout?
Per terms of the contract, Sarkisian’s buyout if he were to leave Texas during this calendar year, Jan. 1-Dec. 31, is $5 million. The buyout structure began at $6 million for 2022 and 2023, but just dropped for the first time to $5 million on Jan. 1. The buyout will drop to $4 million in 2025, and $3 million in 2026.
