Big Ten🛡️ Heavily Fortified (4/5)

Kirk Ferentz

Head Football Coach • Iowa (Hawkeyes)

Current Buyout Owed (Today)

$25,729,167

29 months remaining (868 days)

Annual Salary

$7,175,000

Base + Supplemental Talent

Contract Expires

2029-01-31

Hired: 1998-12-02

Coach Leaves Buyout

$2,000,000

Owed if leaving for NFL / Rival

Daily Amortization

$16,697

Buyout drops each day

University Firing Coach (Without Cause)

School Owes Coach: $25,729,167

Contract buyout as tracked by official reporting: $25,729,167.

Payment Structure:Annual Installments

Duty to Mitigate (Offsets):No (Guaranteed regardless of new job)

Total Remaining Unearned Salary:$17,051,061

Coach Departs Voluntarily (Poaching Clause)

Coach / Hiring School Owes: $2,000,000

If Kirk Ferentz accepts a position as head coach with another collegiate program or an NFL franchise prior to 2029-01-31, he or his new employer is legally bound to pay this liquidated departure penalty.

Departure Fee:$2,000,000

School Retention Leverage:Standard College Buyout

Coaching Stance & Contractual Security

Job Stability vs. The Hot Seat

How Our Two-Axis Model Works

0/5 Votes

Pending Fan Consensus

Tension Rating: Stability (4/5) • Hot Seat (Pending)

Contract Job Stability is rated Heavily Fortified. Awaiting 5 more community vote(s) to officially establish the Hot Seat alignment.

Contract Job Stability

Level 4 / 5

Heavily Fortified

Severe Buyout Deterrent • $25,729,167 Buyout Firewall

Major financial hurdle; university athletic board faces multi-million dollar penalties before contemplating termination.

Contract Safeguard: Contract buyout as tracked by official reporting: $25,729,167.

Mitigation Duty: None (fully guaranteed sum)

The Hot Seat (Community Consensus)

Consensus Building

Consensus Building0 / 5 Votes

Hot Seat score requires at least 5 votes to show, only 0 votes cast so far.

5 more votes needed to unlock public heat score. Cast your vote below!

Interactive Amortization Simulator for Kirk Ferentz

Interactive Financial Modeler

Simulate Termination Date & Buyout Cost

See how contract amortization, date milestones, and mitigation clauses reduce buyout liability over time.

Select Coach (Alphabetical by School)

Kirk FerentzUntouchable

Iowa • Big Ten • Contract thru 2029-01-31

Annual Salary

$7,175,000

Current Buyout (Today)

$25,729,167

Hypothetical Termination Date

Selected Date: 2026-09-16 (868 days remaining on contract)

Or pick any exact date:

Buyout Owed on 2026-09-16

$25,729,167

Official USA Today Verified Buyout

Savings by Delaying to This Date

Natural amortization saves $16,697 / day

If Coach Leaves Voluntarily

$2,000,000

Amount coach / hiring team owes Iowa

Duty to Mitigate (New Job Offset Analysis)

No Mitigation Required (Full Guarantee)

Important: Kirk Ferentz's contract does not mandate an affirmative duty to mitigate. Even if he takes another job paying millions tomorrow, Iowa is legally obligated to continue paying the full buyout amount with zero offset!

Contract Calculation Formula:

USA Today FOIA benchmark: $25,729,167. Salary and buyout aligned with October 2025 authoritative baseline.

💡 By waiting 6 months, natural salary amortization reduces buyout liability by ~$3.05M.

Key Contractual Stipulations