Kevin Sumlin is the former coach of the Arizona Wildcats who was fired in 2020. Before joining Arizona, he was the coach of the Texas A&M Aggies, but after the 2017 season, he was fired despite never posting a losing season. Texas A&M opted to hire Jimbo Fisher, but Sumlin received a $10.4 million buyout.
Shortly after the buyout, Sumlin was hired to be the coach of Arizona. He was only with the Wildcats for two full seasons, as he was fired just midway through his third season.
When Kevin Sumlin took the job with Arizona, he agreed to a $14.5 million contract over five years. He was set to make $2 million in the first two years, and $3.5 million for the next three seasons.
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The contract also had multiple incentives that could have allowed Sumlin to make an extra $2 million a season. The contract allowed the use of a vehicle, a membership at a local country club and the use of a non-commercial jet.
Due to being fired, Sumlin was owed a buyout of more than $7 million. Half of that amount was due within 30 days of termination, while the other half was due on Jan. 15, 2023.
Why did Arizona fire Kevin Sumlin?
The Arizona Wildcats fired Kevin Sumlin following a 70-7 loss to their rivals Arizona State.
After the loss, Arizona dropped to 0-5 on the season.
“When we hired Kevin three years ago, we had very high hopes for our football program," UA athletic director Dave Heeke said in a statement. "Unfortunately, we simply have not seen the results and upward trajectory in our program that we needed to, and I believe now is the time for a change in leadership. I thank Kevin for his service to the University of Arizona and wish him the very best in the future.
"Our attention now turns to finding the next head coach at the University of Arizona, while we continue to support our student-athletes, who have sacrificed so much since returning to campus this summer. We will cast a wide net to identify and recruit a coach who shares our vision, our values and our passion for winning.”
Kevin Sumlin's record at Arizona
Kevin Sumlin went 9-20 across three seasons with the Arizona Wildcats. He went 5-7 in his first season and 4-8 in his second. In his third season of his five-year deal, Sumlin started 0-5 and was fired.
Overall as a head coach, Sumlin is 95-63. He is now the associate head coach, co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Maryland.
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