A select number of Kansas State students showed up to Bramlage Coliseum Wednesday night before the team's 91-62 loss to Cincinnati wearing paper bags over their heads, drawing the attention of a fans on social media.
Written on the outside were a number of statements, ranging from “we ain’t got dudes” to “donors save us” and “anybody got $18,675,000.”
More Kansas State fans have been seen with paper bags against Cincinnati
— Burch (@braden_burcham_) February 12, 2026
I think it’s safe to say Jerome Tang will not have another college basketball job again after this season. One of the worst declines I’ve ever seen in the sport pic.twitter.com/HYgI5JW3Tn
What those numbers are referring to
The $18.675 million figure refers to the amount previously reported in the buyout clause attached to head coach Jerome Tang’s contract. According to reports earlier this year, that’s the cost of firing the third-year head coach with cause.
That figure drops by around $3 million to $15.75 million in May and decreases by roughly $3 million per year through 2030.
However, there's a twist: one number gets cut in half if Gene Taylor is no longer the athletics director at K-State.
Unfortunately for those in favor of a buyout, that number only applies to the amount Tang would owe the University if he decided to step away from the program. It would have no impact on how much money the athletics department owes the third-year head coach if he's fired without cause.
Another report by the Topeka Capital-Journal also suggested that the buyout wouldn’t just break a program record. It would double as the largest in the sport’s history.
How we got here: a look back at Tang’s tenure
Calling the entirety of Tang’s time at K-State underwhelming wouldn’t be fair. In his second year at the head of the program, the Wildcats made the first Elite Eight run since 2018. It became the 13th appearance on that stage in program history, following a similar run in 2010.
Prior to that, he was an assistant coach at Baylor under Scott Drew and a member of the 2021 NCAA Championship team.
That level of experience isn’t something to overlook, and it certainly explains his qualifications for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award in 2023.
After a win over in-state rival Kansas that season, he delivered a message to a sold out crowd. His exact words: “[from] here on out, expect to win.”
Jerome Tang takes the mic. Says it’s about us and not who we beat. And now let’s expect to win. And leads KSU chant. pic.twitter.com/YRiB5zkMYi
— Derek Young (@DerekYoungKSO) January 18, 2023
The following season didn’t offer much beyond an NIT appearance, and the season after ended below .500. That brings us to today; a team with only one win in 11 conference games after opening Big 12 play 0-5 for the first time since the 1996-97 season.
That kind of fall off in that little amount of time is hard to comprehend.
Why a buyout isn’t so simple for K-State
The formula sounds simple. If you want a head coach gone, fire them. Unfortunately, that’s not exactly how it works. Budgets are a real thing, and operating costs can get expensive.
Unfortunately for K-State, buying out Tang doesn’t account for the cost of terminating and rehiring a new staff to coach the program. If he’s terminated, there’s no clear sign that ticket revenue through the end of the year will increase.
The conversation also comes in the wake of the rising costs of recruiting, the transfer portal and sustaining athletes in the current landscape of college athletics.
Covering that large of an expense would require most schools to take on debt or find alternative funding sources, such as donors or other private revenue sources.
For fans, that means the debate isn’t going anywhere until at least the end of the 2025-26 season.