Color Scheme

Subscribe now

WSU not expected to owe any buyout of new head coach Kirby Moore

Fireworks explode after Washington State Cougars quarterback Zevi Eckhaus (4) punches the ball in for a touchdown against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs during the second half of a college football game on Saturday, Nov 15, 2025, on Gesa Field in Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash. WSU won the game 28-3. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
By Greg Woods gregw@spokesman.com(509) 459-5587

PULLMAN – As Washington State gets ready to start a new era, announcing the hire of new football coach Kirby Moore on Friday, there’s good news for the Cougars under the hood.

WSU is not expected to owe any buyout to Missouri, where Moore had just spent the past three seasons working as offensive coordinator.

In a copy of Moore’s contract reviewed by The Spokesman-Review, the buyout would have been $1M based on Moore’s hire date. But the contract stipulates that if he were to leave for a head coaching position, whether at the college or NFL level, his buyout would become zero.

That means WSU is paying nothing to hire Moore, whose Tigers offense ranked No. 27 nationally in total offense this season. It’s some big savings for the Cougars, who need every dollar they can get, particularly on the NIL front as they try to stay ahead of the new Pac-12.

WSU is also getting $4M from the buyout of former coach Jimmy Rogers, who left for the same job at Iowa State last Friday, decamping after just one 6-6 season with the Cougars. The Cougars could put that toward all manner of things: NIL, Moore’s assistant coach salary pool or upgrades at Gesa Field, which university President Elizabeth Cantwell recently said are on the horizon.

The interesting part will be Moore’s new contract at Washington State. How much of a buyout will the Cougars negotiate for him? There’s no telling when Moore might leave, but if it happens to be sooner than later, WSU could benefit from a sizable payday in the form of a buyout. It could become a key asset for the Cougs.

It’s unclear how much Moore will be making at WSU. In his one season with the Cougars, Rogers made about $1.57M. It’s likely the Cougars offered more to Moore, but exact numbers have yet to surface.

Per Moore’s Mizzou contract, he made about $1.25M in 2024, which is when he earned a contract extension. He spent three years with the Tigers, 2023-2025, helping the team achieve 11 wins in 2023, 10 in 2024 and eight this fall, good for a trip to the Gator Bowl.

In a video posted on social media Friday, Cantwell emphasized the importance of fundraising for NIL, which she said needs to total some $5 million for the Cougs to go where they need to.