Examining the Alabama clause in Dabo Swinney’s new Clemson contract in more detail
Dabo Swinney, the football coach at Clemson, has signed a 10-year, $115 million contract that will keep him with the school through the 2031 season, with an option to quit at any time to become the Crimson Tide’s coach. Before this one on Thursday, Swinney’s most recent contract from 2019 included a similar condition. According to a terms sheet revealed on Thursday, Swinney would receive an annual employee buyout that is 1.5 times higher than any other college if he decides to depart to coach Alabama. Per his new deal, Swinney owes Clemson nothing if he leaves to take a head coaching position in the NFL.
“How I look at that is Coach’s commitment to Clemson,” director of athletics Graham Neff said Thursday of Swinney’s Alabama clause. “If you were to look at the market for the buyouts, Coach’s buyout to Clemson even before any of the additive for Alabama specifically is the highest of his market, the top 10 markets.” Neff added: “That commitment that he has to Clemson sets the market … that’s how I see those buyout dollars, because there’s a lot of them around the country and the market that aren’t a whole lot if anything. So even those dollars there from Coach are emblematic of his commitment to Clemson.”
Head coach Swinney, who is in his 14th full season at Clemson, is the sixth-fastest coach in FBS history to reach 150 career wins. Swinney has twice defeated his alma mater, Alabama, to win national championships in the College Football Playoffs in 2016 and 2018.
“Coach Swinney and his family’s impact on our community and department cannot be understated, and his success and stability nationally is truly uncommon,” Neff said in a release. “It is critical that Clemson continue to invest in our football program, and ensure our head coach is at Clemson for a long, long time. The best is yet to come.
