Former Wisconsin HC Paul Chryst to Receive $11M Contract Buyout After Firing

Paul Chryst is no longer the head football coach at Wisconsin, and he took a reduced buyout as he was fired.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg noted the school said he accepted a reduced buyout of $11 million.

He had approximately $20 million remaining on his deal that ran through January 2027. The buyout money will be funded by the University of Wisconsin Foundation, which is the school's fundraising organization, and must be paid by Feb. 1.

Chryst was fired after a 2-3 start that fell short of the standards that he helped put in place.

He started as the head coach in the 2015 season and went 67-26 with four double-digit win campaigns and three Big Ten Championship Game appearances. While he lost all three of those conference title games, twice to Ohio State and once to Penn State, the Badgers have still largely been the class of the Big Ten West under his leadership.

They were even one win away from the College Football Playoff during the 2017 campaign but saw their undefeated journey come to an end when they lost to the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Reaching the Big Ten title game, especially with star running back Braelon Allen leading the way, was once again the expectation this year, but Wisconsin is 0-2 in conference play with losses to Ohio State and Illinois.

Chryst was fired after the 24-point defeat to the Fighting Illini, although a 17-14 nonconference loss to Washington State in which Wisconsin enjoyed a 401-253 advantage in total yards and still fell short likely didn't help his cause either.

Jim Leonhard will take over in an interim role for the Badgers.

Leonhard was the defensive coordinator and appeared in 39 games for Wisconsin from 2002 through 2004 as a player. He also played 10 seasons in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns.

Next up for the Badgers is a conference game against Northwestern on Saturday.