This is not going to be popular, but if I were Fran, I would do two things. First, I would go to his boss and ask for a raise. He is 9th in the conference. Iowa has the money. Plus, he would not be asking for greed, but for a bigger cause.
Second, I would then donate appreciable money to the Iowa collective earmarked to MBB. I have no idea if this is legal, but why would it not? Fran can do what he wants with his money. He is not paying the players directly and he is a fan of the Iowa program like anyone else. I would love to see the NCAA try and stop him from doing this. It would be in court with an injunction in a day.
For years, we have bitched about the coaches making millions and leaving anytime they want to, and the players barely getting training table. Well, time to put up. Donate a million and retain your players and maybe grab some additional talent from the portal, Fran. Fran has to be set financially for the rest of his life. Would he rather earn a million less this year and be successful, or bank an extra mill, lose his best players, and finish his career limping through the NIT.
You want to win, Fran? You are a millionaire many times over. Lop some off for your players and go from some hardware your last few years in the game!!!! You have the power to do so, do you have the stones?