South Carolina Owes Will Muschamp an Extra $2 Million After Agreeing to a Buyout Reduction Last Year and Just Never Signing It

Every time a Power Five head coach gets fired and the school shells out whatever the insane buyout number is, I think, "Maybe this is the time athletic departments will learn a lesson and stop agreeing to these ridiculous contracts that incentivize getting fired." And they never do.

But the University of South Carolina has done a truly masterful job of playing itself in its firing of Will Muschamp earlier this season. Muschamp's buyout was thought to be around $13 million — still painful, given the current state of finances throughout collegiate athletics — after he and the school agreed to a $2 million reduction last December. Here's the problem, though: South Carolina never signed it.

Football Scoop — Muschamp’s contract that took him through 2024 calls for South Carolina to pay 75% of his remaining salary to him. A revision to his contract took place back in December of 2019 that could have saved the school over $2 million on the buyout (per The State), and while it was approved by the board of trustees, it was never signed by Muschamp or Tanner. At the time of proposed revision, Muschamp wanted to redirect money to retain running backs coach Thomas Brown via a raise to his salary.

Man, this is a kind of incompetence I didn't know existed at schools other than Tennessee. How does this happen? Get a couple signatures on a mutually agreed upon buyout reduction and you save yourself $2 million in a time when every dollar is critical. Instead, an error that would be embarrassing in a game of Monopoly gives the coach you just fired another really nice house.

Muschamp's contract also apparently didn't include very standard language that would require him to seek employment to get his buyout money and have his new salary subtracted from the buyout. So USC owes him $15 million whether he does nothing for the next few years or if he goes and makes $1 million a year as a defensive coordinator. He signed the best contract of all-time.

If you're able to break into the industry, there is no better job on the planet than being a college football coach. If you can make it to a big time program, you will be set for life no matter if you can actually coach or not. Just make sure that buyout is written in there and you're good to go.

Congratulations to Muschamp for finessing $15 million for being fired. That is how you do it, folks.