One way or another, it pays to be an LSU coach.
With Thursday’s re-hire of Will Wade, the school is at a whopping $200 million spent on coaches for its marquee teams since October.
The overhaul began with the firing of Tigers football coach Brian Kelly, whose debacle of a three-year tenure ended with a $54 million buyout — and that doesn’t include the court fees from the lawsuit he filed over his termination.
Kelly’s replacement, Lane Kiffin, came over from Ole Miss following a $3 million buyout, agreeing to a seven-year, $91 million deal that reportedly comes with additional incentives.
There’s $148 million right there, before getting into the projected $40 million for the roster.
It wasn’t a high enough total to scare Tigers administrators off from making changes to the basketball team, either.
They opted to move on from coach Matt McMahon and his 60-70 record, leaving him due an $8 million buyout as part of the seven-year deal he signed four years ago when he took over following Wade’s scandal-filled departure.
Per ESPN, McMahon’s staff is due at least $1 million, as well.
Bringing Wade back from NC State — he was fired by LSU in 2019 after an NCAA probe left the program hobbled by sanctions — cost $4 million in buyout cash, according to NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan, who said that figure was negotiated down from over $5 million.
Details of Wade’s new contract have not been announced, but he’s expected to receive approximately $30 million, according to ESPN.
Then there’s the hiring of Wade’s staff and an increase to the budget to build his roster, which CBS Sports pegged to start at $10 million.
That would put the total cost of the men’s basketball and football programs over the past five months at at $201 million.
LSU has never been afraid to spend on its coaches, with women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey in the third year of a 10-year, $32 million contract and baseball coach Jay Johnson signing a seven-year, $23.45 million extension in 2025.
