How much will Purdue pay to fire football coach?

Eleven consecutive losses, including two of the worst in program history, remain Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski with little choice. The AD called on Sunday to football coach Ryan Walters after only two seasons at the helm.

The on-field product has hit rock bottom, ranking among the worst FBS teams in many offensive and defensive metrics. And with an increasingly small recruiting class in 2025 Ranked last among FBS programs, there were few signs of hope on the horizon.

The call for change among alumni and fans grew louder each week, reaching a crescendo after a 66-0 drubbing of rival IU SATURDAY. Walters finished with a 5-19 record in his two seasons, including a 3-15 Big Ten mark.

Under the terms of the contract, Purdue owes Walters 75 percent of his base pay if he fires him without cause. Walters was scheduled to earn $4.1 million in 2025, $4.15 million in 2026 and $4.2 million in 2027. He is owed a $9.3375 million buyout for the remaining three years.

This amount is paid in equal monthly installments until the contract end date of December 31, 2027. This still represents a significant expense on the books for an athletic program that is still figuring out how to pay more than $20 million per year in revenue sharing.

The 10 “countable” assistant coaches by the NCAA definition are entitled to 100 percent of their remaining contracts. Only wide receivers coach Cory Patterson and cornerbacks coach Sam Carter have contracts that expire at the end of the year.

Walters fired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell on September 30. Purdue must pay $1 million for 2025, the third and final year of his contract, as well as his remaining salary for 2024.

Defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Kevin Kane ($850,000 contract for 2025) and special teams coordinator Chris Petrilli ($250,000) already had contracts that ran through 2025. The same goes for director of football strength and conditioning, Kiero Small ($500,000). His contract does not contain this head coach termination provision or any other mitigating provision.

Last summer, five Purdue assistants signed one-year extensions. The contracts of offensive line coach Marcus Johnson ($600,000), defensive line coach Brick Haley ($500,000), safeties coach Grant O’Brien ($275,000), of running backs coach Lamar Conard ($260,000) and tight ends coach Joe Dineen ($250,000) are now underway. until December 31, 2025.

None of these coaches received a raise. All contracts contain provisions that if Walters is fired, he will be owed 90 days of pay.

If Purdue parted ways with Walters on Dec. 1, it would owe him, Small, Harrell and the nine other assistant coaches about $12.1 million. That’s about $1.75 million more than without last summer’s extensions.

The total buyout could be slightly larger, as contract terms were not immediately available to all analysts, quality control coaches and other staff.

Follow IndyStar Purdue Insider Nathan Baird on X at @nwbaird.