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Jerry Stackhouse’s time at Vanderbilt is reportedly over. After five seasons roaming the sidelines in Nashville, the head coach has been fired.
Luckily for Stackhouse, he’ll be paid a massive amount to no longer coach basketball thanks to a staggering buyout that came as part of a recent contract extension.
Stackhouse was 70-92 across his five campaigns with the Commodores, posting losing records in three of those seasons. Most recently, his team finished 9-23 marking his worst year at the helm.
With no progress being seen within in the program, athletic director Candice Lee opted to sever ties.
Sources: Barring an unforeseen set of circumstances, Jerry Stackhouse is not expected to return as Vanderbilt’s head coach next season.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 14, 2024
The decision represented a stark contrast to Lee’s view of the Commodores just two years prior. In fact, she’d recently rewarded Stackhouse with an extension following a 19-17 season in 2021-22.
“Committing to and investing in him as the leader is an important part of building the championship caliber program that we all want and expect here at Vanderbilt,” Lee said while justifying that deal. “I value the contributions Jerry and his program have made to our community and campus, and I am excited about our future.”
Her swift change of heart will prove costly.
While contract terms are not public due to Vanderbilt’s status as a private university, the belief is that Jerry Stackhouse’s buyout will be north of $15 million – likely as a direct result of that recent contract negotiation.
Breaking: Vanderbilt is working toward severing its ties with Jerry Stackhouse, sources tell @CBSSports. His firing should be formal soon. The terms of Stackhouse’s buyout aren’t publicly known but are believed to be north of $15 million.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 14, 2024
Only in college sports can you get paid $15M after doing your job poorly, but Stackhouse likely isn’t complaining!
It’s not the only instance we’ve seen at the Power Five level this season. Ohio State couldn’t even wait until the end of the year to pull the plug on the Chris Holtmann era, despite having extended him less than two years prior.
He landed a cool $14M after the Buckeyes gave him the boot.
What a time to be alive.