Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables is already one of college football's most respected assistants. Now, he will sign the largest overall deal in history.
Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports reports that Clemson is extending Venables' contract, giving him a five-year deal worth $11.6 million. The contract, which will be the largest in totality for an assistant coach in college football history, is expected to be passed by Clemson's Board of Trustees on Thursday.
LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda holds the high water mark for an assistant's average salary after signing a $10 million contract in January. Aranda's four-year deal made him the highest-paid assistant on an annual basis at $2.5 million.
Venables will earn $2 million per year with retention bonuses of $200,000 per year for the first two years and $400,000 for the final three years.
Just as importantly, there's no buyout for Venables if he takes a head coaching job elsewhere. However, if Venables leaves for another assistant job, he will pay 25 percent of the remaining part of his deal.
At this point, it's clear that Venables will either stay at Clemson or take a high-paying head coaching gig, presumably at a Power Five institution where he can earn even more. He has been one of the hottest assistants on the market for years yet seemingly prefers to remain in his role with the Tigers.
Venables has certainly earned this lucrative deal. Since taking over in 2012, he has coached up the Tigers' defense to one of the best in the country. Clemson has finished with a top-10 scoring defense in three of the past four seasons. Fourteen Clemson defenders have been drafted into the NFL in the past three years alone, and this year's defensive line is considered the nation's best heading into the 2018 season with as many as three potential first-round picks.
