Gary Andersen reportedly walks away from $2.7 million (Gary Andersen)

When many in and around the college football industry forecasted a lighter than usual coaching market following the 2020 season, they reasoned, understandably, that schools wouldn't have the funds and/or the stomach to pay multi-multi-million dollar buyouts amid a global pandemic.

This wasn't the case, of course. Gus Malzahn, Will Muschamp and Tom Herman collected close to $50 million in buyouts just between the three of them.

No one saw a move like Gary Andersen's coming. Which, if you know anything about him, shouldn't be surprsing.

The Deseret Newsreported Monday Anderson walked away from $2.7 million Utah State owed to him by his contract.

This is not the first time Andersen has done this in his career. Andersen forfeit $12.6 million when he left Oregon State in 2017, but at least the school termed that a mutual separation.

This time around, Utah State straight up fired Andersen following an 0-3 start.

The population of coaches who would decline their contractually-obligated buyout following a firing might just be one.

This isn't to shame any coaches who did accept their buyouts; contracts are contracts. But the profession is better for having coaches like Andersen in it.

“How could I wake up every day and look at myself in the mirror knowing I took money from the kids in that program?” he told a colleague, believing the money could be used for things that would benefit the players.

When Andersen left OSU he released this statement through the athletic department:

“Coaching is not about the mighty dollar. It is about teaching and putting young men in a position to succeed on and off the field. Success comes when all parties involved are moving in the same direction.”

As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.

Loading...
Loading...