Clemson knows they have their guy - they aren't going to let him go anywhere. Ever. The administration at the South Carolina school inked Dabo Swinney to a massive contract extension on Friday, just days before the start of the regular season. The deal makes him one of the most well-compensated coaches in all of college football. There's no doubt that he earned that raise after the team's triumph on the football field last January.
Swinney gets paid
The school's compensation committee approved the big deal for the beloved head football coach. The contract will pay Swinney approximately $6.75 million per season, through 2024. He'll make $54 million over the life of the eight-year extension. There are attachments to the deal in the form of signing bonuses, retention bonuses, and buyout clauses if Swinney abandons Clemson before the end of the deal, which seems unlikely at the moment.
He's now third on the list of coach payment rankings in the sport. Michigan's Jim Harbaugh and Alabama's Nick Saban unsurprisingly top the list.
But Swinney is now better paid than some coaches that could be considered as being superior, including Ohio State's Urban Meyer and Florida State's Jimbo Fisher. Don't expect the Clemson coach to spend too much time basking in his newfound riches - he has a season to start.
Clemson eternally grateful
Clemson had little choice but to reward Swinney after last season. He marched the team to the National Championship Game for the second straight year. This time, the result flipped. He led his team - with the assistance of star quarterback Deshaun Watson - over Alabama, the team's first championship since 1981. It made them legends around the community and set the team on a path to become the class of the ACC.
The team looks ready to contend again this season, even with a new quarterback taking the helm.
Clemson had to lock up their coach, considering all of the vultures that will be coming after him in the coming years. The biggest one, ironically, will be Alabama. Saban is firmly entrenched in his role with the team for as long as he wants to be - his deal lasts through at least the 2022 season. But the team's first call would almost certainly be to Swinney, who played for the team from 1990 to 1992 and served as an assistant coach from 1993 to 2000. Clemson hopes that legacy and a lot of money will help them retain their coach for the next several years, if not longer.