You have to be a special cat to be a Power 5 college football coach.
And to be a successful coach at WVU, where the recruiting base is limited, you really have to be a special cat.
Today, though, many are wondering how many lives Dana Holgorsen has left in his role as Mountaineer coach.
In my opinion, the man has at least one, if not two, of his nine lives remaining. A win in one of the next two games at Baylor and TCU would certainly help him. Also, a strong finish and 8-4 final record probably would do so.
Yet much looks bleak right now for West Virginia's football program. Las Vegas bookies have the Mountaineers as 17-point underdogs against Baylor. WVU projects as a 10-point underdog to TCU. Big 12 teams Kansas State, Texas Tech and, now, even Texas are looking better.
So the volume has been turned up on cries about Holgorsen. The team's slow offensive starts and his teams' poor season finishes are targets. His 16-22 record since that 5-0 start in 2012 has become more of a critics' maypole. The impressive Orange Bowl blowout of Clemson has become more and more of a speck in the rearview mirror.
Again, in my mind, Holgorsen still has at least one of his nine lives left. College football is unpredictable and a lot can happen before this season's end. But folks have been asking one question: How much would it cost WVU to buy out Holgorsen and his staff in order to start over?
The answer: $8.725 million.
When reached on Monday, Mountaineer athletic director Shane Lyons said he "doesn't comment on coaches during the season."
We've heard that before and it's sensible unless an impending firing is about to take place. In Morgantown, nothing is imminent.
Yet, again, here's the answer many readers are asking: $8.725 million.
Here's the deal. According to a USA Today coaches' salary database, Holgorsen is making $2,880,000 this season. (A Freedom of Information request was filed to WVU for the contract on Monday, but the Columbus Day holiday came into play.)
After this season, Holgorsen is set to make another $2.9 million both in 2016 and 2017. In 2012, he signed a six-year extension, which takes him through those seasons. So it would cost WVU around $5.8 million simply to buy out the head coach.
However, one also has to account for the assistants' salaries. Some of those coaches, like Damon Cogdell, Joe DeForest and Mark Scott, have but one-year contracts. They could simply be released.
But then there are the others. The other six are guaranteed salaries through, at least, January of 2017. Defensive coordinator Tony Gibson is guaranteed his salary through January of 2018.
The breakdown: WVU would have to pay Gibson $750,000 for 2016 and $700,000 for 2017; Lonnie Galloway would receive $350,000 for 2016; Ron Crook and JaJuan Seider would receive $300,000 apiece for 2016; Brian Mitchell would get $275,000 for 2016; and Bruce Tall would receive $250,000 for 2016. That's $2.925 million.
Is that something WVU's athletic department can handle? Yes. Compare it as a percentage of revenue. The Mountaineers should be generating over $80 million this year.
Yet Lyons should still be rooting hard for Holgorsen and his staff. The $8.725 million is a base figure. There will be other benefits and incentive compensation that will be paid.
And keep in mind Lyons will have to turn around and pay a new staff to take over. As I've written, one has to be a special cat to do that successfully. Lyons will have to pay a pretty penny for a coach with name recognition and a staff that can recruit out of state to West Virginia. The latter is no easy task.
Holgorsen's salary for this season was No. 35 nationally, according to USA Today's database. Seven of the other nine Big 12 coaches were paid more, from Oklahoma's Bob Stoops ($5.4 million) to Kansas State's Bill Synder ($3 million). Only Iowa State's Paul Rhoads and Kansas' Dave Beaty are earning less.
So Lyons has to plan on spending about $3 million annually there. Also, the current assistant coaches' total annual salaries are at $2.85 million. So the AD will have to plan on another $3 million there. (Expect, however, changes the way assistants are paid during Lyons' tenure. All from here on will undoubtedly be tied to the head coach's employment.)
In sum, Lyons would have to spend around $15 million to clean house and pay a new staff the first year.
Can it be done? Again, yes. There are always rainy day funds stashed away. And if Lyons deems he can't sell football tickets next season without change, he'll have little choice. Ticket sales have to be his No. 1 consideration.
Lyons, however, has to be hoping Holgorsen takes advantage of his remaining nine lives. And that the cat lands firmly on two feet.