The Numbers
$12.5 million a year.
$12.5 million a year.
This is the return.
What Ohio State pays
The investment
SALARY
$12.5M
Per year, under contract through 2031.
Source ↗ (opens in a new tab) Contract ↗ (opens in a new tab)BUYOUT
$80.5M
Maximum if fired now. Reduced if Day is hired elsewhere, and typically paid over time.
Source ↗ (opens in a new tab)What it bought
The return
The obvious objection
"The buyout is too expensive."
$80.5 million is the most it could cost, and it's reduced if Day coaches somewhere else. Ohio State athletics brought in $336.1 million in a single year. The school can afford a change. The question is whether it can afford more of the same.