Cincinnati Fires Wes Miller And Will Owe Him Nearly $10 Million In Buyout Money

College basketball success can vary from program to program. For a blue-blood school like Duke or Kansas, annually contending for a national championship is part of the expectation. Schools from traditionally one-bid conferences would consider making the NCAA Tournament a huge success. Then there are programs somewhere in the middle, like Cincinnati. They're not on anyone's short list of title favorites, but reaching the NCAA Tournament and winning a game or two isn't an outrageous expectation.

And yet, the Bearcats haven't made the NCAA Tournament since 2019. Believing a change was necessary, Cincinnati fired head coach Wes Miller after five seasons. Miller, who made the NCAA Tournament twice in his final four seasons at UNC Greensboro, never reached the tourney with Cincinnati. His best year came in 2022-23; the Bearcats went 23-13 and reached the quarterfinals of the NIT.

Miller is getting an extensive buyout to leave Cincinnati. The school will owe him $9.9 million, paid in installments through the 2028-29 season. Had Cincinnati waited until April 1 to fire Miller, the school would only have owed $4.69 million.

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The timing of the move is curious, though it's defensible given how quickly the college basketball hiring cycle can move. Utah State is in the NCAA Tournament; one of the program's assistant coaches, Eric Haut, was hired as Tarleton State's next head coach during the Mountain West Conference tournament. Schools with openings aren't shy about poaching coaches from other teams.

By firing Miller now, Cincinnati gets a few extra weeks with its coaching search and has a wider pool to choose from. That also accelerates recruiting and NIL opportunities. The university believes that additional time is worth an extra $5.21 million. Additionally, the buyout will likely be softened should Miller find another job elsewhere. That team will be paying him a salary, and that sometimes offsets buyout money.

So, Miller ends his Cincinnati tenure with a 100-74 record. The Bearcats never finished higher than fourth in their conference, moving from the American to the Big 12 after Miller's second season in charge.

Miller's buyout isn't as egregious as the most outrageous football departures. Still, it's a big financial hit to part ways.