I have a suspicion some deal was formed with Richt where he agreed to step down without a buyout, under the condition that Diaz would replace him as head coach.
This basically all goes back to that stupid extension Blake gave Richt prior to 2018. Without the extension, Richt could have been fired after the 35-3 Wisconsin loss without any concessions, and we could have paid his full buyout. We only would have needed to pay Richt a buyout for 2 years rather than 5 years. (His contract originally ran through 2020 and was extended to run through 2023.) Richt would not have been able to tell us who to hire as a replacement.
This basically all goes back to that stupid extension Blake gave Richt prior to 2018. Without the extension, Richt could have been fired after the 35-3 Wisconsin loss without any concessions, and we could have paid his full buyout. We only would have needed to pay Richt a buyout for 2 years rather than 5 years. (His contract originally ran through 2020 and was extended to run through 2023.) Richt would not have been able to tell us who to hire as a replacement.