If Florida fans pause their Lane Kiffin fever, they might notice Indiana's coach
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Florida fans eager to welcome Lane Kiffin as their next coach might want to peek at Paste BN's annual coaching salary database, published Thursday.
It would take one mountainous stack of greenbacks to attempt to lure Kiffin, and that's after Florida cuts Billy Napier a check to send him to Buyout Beach.
Napier's buyout would register at $26.7 million on Dec. 1. And Kiffin enjoys a $9 million salary at Ole Miss, plus about as much job security as an SEC coach could reasonably expect — this side of Kirby Smart, anyway.
So, let's play this out. Kiffin probably can expect a bit of a raise after this season. That's become an almost annual rite of passage for a coach: Either you get fired or you get a raise. I anticipate his salary to top $9 million next season.
What would Florida need to come up with in order not to get laughed off a phone call with super agent Jimmy Sexton, who represents Kiffin? I'm just brainstorming here, but maybe an eight-year, $85 million deal would get Sexton to return your text. And that comes after paying off Napier and his staff.
Also, don't forget to pass "Go" and cut Dan Mullen his check. The previous coach fired by Florida receives an annual $1 million buyout check every July through 2027.
Oh, I nearly forgot — you still have to pay the players. Revenue-sharing with athletes is coming to the balance sheet next year, which is expected to add about $22 million in new expenses.
Phew. Florida had better check its bank account balance.
Of course, media rights revenue is the gift that keeps giving. SEC schools are no paupers, but would it be most logical to open the vault to woo Kiffin, or try to snag a rising coach at more of a bargain rate?
Spending big won't guarantee success. Ask Southern Cal about that. Lincoln Riley is 5-8 in his past 13 games. That's equivalent to Napier's record in his past 13.
I'm not suggesting Florida shop at the clearance rack, but in a column earlier this week, I pointed out a few interesting options Florida could pursue more cheaply than Kiffin.
Among the most tempting: Indiana's Curt Cignetti.
In an absolute master class of coaching, Cignetti has the Hoosiers at 6-0 and averaging 47.5 points per game. I don't much care that none of those wins came against a ranked opponent, because until Cignetti arrived, beating unranked opponents had been more than Indiana could handle.
Cignetti's salary is $4.25 million. That makes him ripe for offers.
As I pointed out in my Tuesday column, hiring Cignetti would mean hiring a coach from a basketball school. Before you roll your eyes about that, Gators fans, remember that you plucked Steve Spurrier away from Duke.
True, Spurrier won a Heisman Trophy as Florida's quarterback, but the other great coach in Florida's history (Urban Meyer) had zero SEC experience before Florida hired him.
Cignetti, in his 14th season as a coach, has never had a losing season. He became a smashing success on the Division II and FCS circuits before proving himself in the FBS, after James Madison transitioned from FCS to the Sun Belt Conference.
I know, Gators fans, you don't want another Sun Belt Billy.
But how about Big Ten Coach Cigs?
At least he's got Napier beat for personality.
After Indiana hired Cignetti, a reporter asked him how he planned to sell his culture to recruits. Cignetti answered snarkily and memorably.
"It’s pretty simple. I win. Google me," Cignetti said.
The more you Google Cignetti, the more you might like him.
Blake Toppmeyer is the Paste BN Network's national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
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