Financial Scenario Modeling

College Coaching Buyout Simulator

Simulate the exact cost to terminate any NCAA head coach as of any calendar date. Explore step-down schedules, daily amortization savings, and future employment mitigation offsets.

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)

Blake HarrellVulnerable Stability

East Carolina • Group of 5 • Contract thru 2029-12-31

Annual Salary

$1,300,000

Current Buyout (Today)

$2,245,833

Hypothetical Termination Date

Selected Date: 2026-10-31 (1157 days remaining on contract)

Or pick any exact date:

Buyout Owed on 2026-10-31

$2,245,833

Official USA Today Verified Buyout

Savings by Delaying to This Date

Natural amortization saves $3,025 / day

If Coach Leaves Voluntarily

$1,000,000

Amount coach / hiring team owes East Carolina

Duty to Mitigate (New Job Offset Analysis)

No Mitigation Required (Full Guarantee)

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

Contract Calculation Formula:

USA Today FOIA benchmark: $2,245,833. Verified update: contractEndDate (2028-12-31 -> 2029-12-31) per 247Sports: https://247sports.com/college/east-carolina/article/ecu-football-blake-harrell-revised-contract-announced-through-2029-274224990/. Contract end date updated based on verified 2026 extension reporting. Salary and official buyout maintained per October 2025 baseline as no new numerical figures were substantiated in the source.

💡 By waiting 6 months, natural salary amortization reduces buyout liability by ~$553K.

Why does the date matter so much in coaching buyouts?

1. Daily Salary AmortizationBecause coaches are paid on monthly or bi-weekly cycles, every single day that passes pays out a portion of their annual base and supplemental salary, naturally reducing the remaining guaranteed liability.

2. Contractual Step-Down DatesMany deals (such as Dabo Swinney’s contract at Clemson) have contractual cliffs on January 1st or December 1st where buyouts instantly drop by $5M to $8M overnight.

3. Hiring Windows & MitigationWaiting to fire a coach until the coaching carousel is active in December makes it much more likely the coach lands a new coordinator or head coaching job quickly, triggering the duty to mitigate and saving the university millions in offsets.