When Will They Learn? Another Coach Fired After Rich Extension For One Great Season - Syracuse's Dino Babers Done
The disasters of recently fired college football coaches such as Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M last week and Ed Orgeron at LSU two years ago should teach a lesson.
But it probably will not.
Syracuse announced the firing of coach Dino Babers on Sunday amid a 5-6 season, 1-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Syracuse fell 31-22 at Georgia Tech Saturday.
Babers, 62, was mired in his fourth losing season in five years since going 10-3 and 6-2 in the ACC in 2018 in his third season. Tight ends coach Nunzio Campanile will replace Babers on an interim basis for Syracuse's season finale Saturday at home against Wake Forest.
College Football Leaders Too Often Reward Coaches Too Quick
"As we embark on a change in leadership at the helm of Syracuse football, on behalf of Syracuse University, I thank coach Babers for his leadership, character and dedication," Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack said Sunday in a statement.
Syracuse has lost six of its last seven games this season to fall to 5-6 overall and 1-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
"We wish him well in his future endeavors," Wildhack said, basically plagiarizing Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork's statement last Sunday.
Syracuse Coach Dino Babers Went 10-3 In 2018
In December of 2018, Babers agreed to a significant raise and long term extension to his original contract. Since Syracuse is a private school, the details of his deal never came out publicly. But it was said to extend "well into the future."
And Babers' future went like this - 5-7, 1-10, 5-7, 7-6 and now 5-6. He did initially turn the program around to 10-3 after going 4-8 in his first two seasons. The 2018 breakthrough campaign was Syracuse's first winning since going 7-6 in 2013.
But, "Calm down," someone should have told Syracuse. The New York Giants were not trying to hire Babers.
Texas A&M, LSU Paid Dearly For Extension Mistakes
Athletic directors, university presidents, and all the money men need to slow down on the raises and extensions after one great year. Too often, that one great season is never duplicated after the fat raise and extension hits the coach. And too often the powers that be at schools are so quick to reward because they want to reward themselves for supposedly making the right hire.
They want to say, "Look, we've arrived."
Or, it's just about bragging and saying, "Hey, we've got money, and look how successful we are."
Too often, these raises and extensions come even when the benefitting coach is not even seriously up for another job. In many cases, he would've stayed anyway.
LSU Coach Ed Orgeron Descended After Extension, Raise
That was the case with Orgeron after winning the national championship at LSU in 2019. He was already in his dream job making $4 million a year, and no one was trying to hire him. Yet, LSU athletic director Scott Woodward gave him a six-year extension and a raise to $7 million a year.
And less than two years later, Woodward fired Orgeron. Like Babers, he started free falling soon after the new contract ink dried. He dropped to 5-5 in 2020 and to 4-3 in 2021. Orgeron walked away with a $17 million buyout. Great fiscal job, Scott.
It was also Woodward who hired Fisher away from Florida State after the 2017 season for $75 million over 10 years - the richest contract for a college football coach at the time in history. Had Woodward looked beyond the national championship in 2013 and the excellent years around it, he may have noticed something. Fisher was 5-6 in 2017. The program was descending. And Fisher didn't want to stay anyway. So, Woodward could've hired him for much cheaper. But Woodward wanted to show off.
Jimbo Fisher left Texas A&M after being fired last week with $76 million owed to him from his contract buyout. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
After Woodward became LSU's athletic director in 2019, Fisher finally started earning his contract in the 2020 season by going 10-1 after average 9-4 and 8-5 in his first two seasons. Yet, Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork wanted to show off, too, and perhaps one up his highly visible predecessor Woodward. So, Bjork extended Fisher by another four years and upped him from $7.5 million to $9 million.
And, like Dino Babers, Fisher never got close to returning to what got him the extension. He fell to 8-4 in 2021, 5-7 in 2022 and 6-4 before getting fired last Sunday. He rode off into the sunset with $76 million. Great job, Ross.
Could you imagine if Woodward and Bjork worked for Succession's Logan Roy? They'd both be done.