Since becoming the head coach of Clemson in 2008, Dabo Swinney has guided the Tigers to unprecedented program success, headlined by two College Football National Championship victories. Have you ever wondered what the price of that success is? Swinney’s salary, contract, and net worth shine a light on the business side of college football excellence.
Dabo Swinney’s Salary and Contract in 2023
After guiding Clemson to 11 consecutive seasons with 10 wins, including the two national titles, Swinney was rewarded win a new contract extension as the 2022 college football campaign got underway.
The 10-year contract ties him to Clemson through the 2031 college football season. We’ll get into the numbers behind Swinney’s salary shortly, but the contract made him the second-highest-paid college football coach based on average yearly compensation.
However, there are some intriguing clauses within Swinney’s contract that deserve some attention before we start breaking down the salary specifics — pecifically, what has often been referred to as the “Alabama clause.”
With any contract, there is a buyout that works both ways. If the head coach leaves of their own volition, they will often have to pay a substantial fee to find employment elsewhere.
Conversely, if a program wants to cut bait without cause, then they will have to buy their way out of some — or in the case of Jimbo Fisher, all — of the remaining contract.
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If Clemson were to fire Swinney without cause in 2023, for example, they’d have to pay $64 million. By 2026, that figure reduces to $57 million. From 2027 onwards, the Tigers would have to pay Swinney the remaining salary he is owed for the rest of his contract.
If Swinney was to leave for another college football head coaching role, he would have to pay Clemson $5 million for 2023, which reduces by $1 million every other season.
However, if that job is the head coach of Alabama, the buyout jumps to $7.5 million in 2023 and reduces to $1.5 million by 2030. The clause showcases the intense rivalry that has formed between the two programs in recent years.
It’s worth pointing out that if Swinney accepts an NFL head coach offer, there is no buyout required under the terms of his contract extension.
For 2023, Swinney commands a salary of $10.75 million. That’s made up of a base salary of $305,000, $3.5 million in licensing money, and $6.945 million in supplemental income. That is the minimum that Swinney will earn under the terms of his 2022 contract extension, as he can bolster his salary with multiple bonuses.
Swinney’s Net Worth
As a result of his most recent contract, Swinney has a net worth of $115 million through 2031. That works out to be an average of $11.5 million per year, taking into account several incremental increases to Swinney’s supplemental salary during the life of the deal.
That net worth sits just behind Alabama head coach Nick Saban and just ahead of Georgia head coach Kirby Smart for the most valuable head coaches in college football.
In addition to his average annual salary of $11.5 million, Swinney can bolster his income with a series of performance-related financial incentives. There are also some academic bonuses woven into the 10-year contract signed in 2022.
Winning the ACC Championship has become the minimum expectation for Clemson fans, and Swinney gets a $200,000 salary boost for leading the Tigers to that goal. Being named the ACC Coach of the Year nets him an additional $25,000.
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Conference success is no longer considered the height of expectation, however. Swinney has several salary bonuses linked to the College Football Playoff, with national title success at the pinnacle of his earning potential. Swinney gets $350,000 if he leads the Tigers to another title during the next 10 years.
Interestingly for a coach who has been vocal about the changing face of college football, Swinney has a salary bonus clause linked to the expanding College Football Playoff format. At the time of signing the deal, that timescale was not set in stone, but the contract offers a $150,000 bonus for an appearance in an expanded format.
Academic success equals financial reward for the Tigers’ head coach too. If Clemson records a single-year APR (Academic Progress Rate) of over 950, Swinney’s salary swells by $75,000. If that number tips over 975, the figure jumps to $100,000.
All told, Swinney can add $1.5 million per year to his salary and net worth for the most successful of seasons.
