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)

Mike ElkoHeavily Fortified

Texas A&M • SEC • Contract thru 2031-12-31

Annual Salary

$11,500,000

Current Buyout (Today)

$21,875,000

Hypothetical Termination Date

Selected Date: 2026-10-31 (1887 days remaining on contract)

Or pick any exact date:

Buyout Owed on 2026-10-31

$21,875,000

Official USA Today Verified Buyout

Savings by Delaying to This Date

Natural amortization saves $26,762 / day

If Coach Leaves Voluntarily

$5,000,000

Amount coach / hiring team owes Texas A&M

Duty to Mitigate (New Job Offset Analysis)

No Mitigation Required (Full Guarantee)

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

Contract Calculation Formula:

USA Today FOIA benchmark: $21,875,000. Verified update: annualSalary (7000000 -> 11500000) per 12thman.com: https://12thman.com/news/2025/11/15/football-texas-am-elko-agree-to-contract-extension | Verified update: coachLeavesBuyout (4000000 -> 5000000) per 12thman.com: https://12thman.com/news/2025/11/15/football-texas-am-elko-agree-to-contract-extension. Contract updated to reflect the November 2025 extension reported by official athletics media.

💡 By waiting 6 months, natural salary amortization reduces buyout liability by ~$4.89M.

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.