Entering the 2015 season, Dabo Swinney may have been the second-highest paid coach in the ACC, but he ranked only 26th nationally.
That's no longer the case.
Clemson approved of a new contract for Swinney following the 2015 ACC title and College Football Playoff selection -- a new deal that will see Swinney's salary rising from $3.3 million annually to $4.55 million in 2016.
“I’m excited and thankful for the opportunity to do what I love at such a great institution,” Swinney said in a statement. “We’ve built a solid foundation of success and will continue to work toward our goals of preparing young men for their future and being successful in everything we do.”
While Swinney still trails Florida State's Jimbo Fisher ($5.15 million) in the ACC, his new salary would put him in the top 10 (eighth overall) of head coaches, according to USA Today's salary database.
Swinney's salary will continue to grow, too, as the deal runs through 2021 and will pay him an average of $5.125 million per year on a prorated basis. As for the buyout, it would be really expensive for Clemson to fire Dabo right now!
Swinney's buyout is $20 million for 2016 and 2017. It then drops to $18 million in 2018, $14 million in 2019, $9 million in 2020 and $5 million in 2021.
Swinney has been the head coach at Clemson since 2009, and has gone 71-24 in that time, including a record of 46-8 the last four seasons.
