Could Dabo Swinney be fired or leave Clemson? Latest news, updates on Tigers coach
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Dabo Swinney is in the middle of his worst season as Clemson football coach as the Tigers head into their home game vs Florida State on Nov. 8.
Clemson (3-5, 2-4 ACC) plays Florida State (4-4, 1-4) at 7 p.m. ET (ACC Network) at Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers were expected to contend for a national championship and make the College Football Playoff, but Clemson’s 20-year bowl streak is in jeopardy.
Clemson needs three wins in its final four games to make a bowl game. If there aren’t enough 6-6 teams to fill every bowl slot, a 5-7 Clemson has a shot based on its academic progress rate.
Is Dabo Swinney worried about getting fired by Clemson?
Swinney joked that he wouldn’t blame Clemson athletic director Graham Neff, who was in attendance postgame, for firing him after the loss to Duke in Week 10. Still, Swinney said he is committed to Clemson.
“Unless Graham sends me packing, I’m showing up Monday,” Swinney said. “I’m gonna be here, and we will finish. It’s a great opportunity for these freshmen who are gonna have a lot of great moments and they’ll win a championship before they get out of here.
“I promise you for because, for 17 years, that’s happened here.”
What is Dabo Swinney’s record at Clemson?
Swinney has two national championships at Clemson, and the Tigers made the 12-team College Football Playoff last season, losing in the first round.
Swinney is 183-52 and in his 17th full season at Clemson’s coach.
The Tigers won the national championship in the 2016 and 2018 seasons. They lost in the championship game in the 2015 and 2019 seasons.
What is Dabo Swinney’s buyout at Clemson?
If Clemson were to fire Swinney “without cause,” the school would owe him $60 million this season as part of his buyout.
If Swinney were to take another college job, he would owe Clemson $4 million. If he were to take the Alabama job, his alma mater, he would owe Clemson $6 million.
Swinney would not owe any money if he accepted an NFL head coach position as long as he or his agent “notify” Neff prior to discussions for other employment.
Dabo Swinney contract, salary details
Swinney is the No. 4 highest-paid coach in college football, according to USA TODAY’s 2025 compensation survey. The Tigers coach is set to earn a total of $11,447,025, not including bonuses, which ranks No. 1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Swinney’s salary for 2025 could go up based on potential bonuses. Bonuses paid for 2024-25 include $100,000 connected with team academic achievement that was allocated among the staff.
How is Clemson football recruiting going for Dabo Swinney’s 2026 class?
The Clemson football 2026 recruiting class is No. 16 nationally (fourth in the ACC) with 20 recruits, including 10 four-stars, nine three-star commits and one player who isn’t rated. Four-star offensive lineman Leo Delaney is Clemson’s highest-rated recruit.
It is a complete change from last year’s cycle, which finished with 15 signees and ranked 26th nationally. It was Swinney’s lowest-rated cycle since 2010 and his smallest class since 2017 after suffering seven decommitments.
Would Dabo Swinney coach another team if he got fired?
After Clemson lost to Georgia Tech in Week 3 and fell to 1-2, Swinney addressed his future.
“If Clemson’s tired of winning, they can send me on my way, but I’m gonna go somewhere else and coach,” Swinney said Sept. 16. “I ain’t going to the beach. I’m 55, I got a long way to go.
“If you don’t believe in us because we’ve lost two games down to the last play, you didn’t believe in us anyway.”
Why did Dabo Swinney get reprimanded by the ACC?
The ACC publicly reprimanded Swinney and fined the school $10,000 following his comments on officiating in the Tigers’ 46-45 loss to Duke.
The ACC stated Swinney’s postgame comments regarding the officiating were in “direct violation” of the ACC Sportsmanship policy.
On fourth-and-10 with 49 seconds left in the game, Duke quarterback Darian Mensah threw an incomplete pass to Que’Sean Brown. However, officials called defensive pass interference on cornerback Avieon Terrell, who was hand fighting with Brown, that extended the drive and allowed Duke to score a touchdown and a game-winning two-point conversion.
Swinney thought a flag should’ve been thrown for offensive pass interference on Duke and said he was shocked when it was on Clemson.
“It shouldn’t come down to that. We had plenty of opportunity to win the game, but that’s one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen in my entire coaching career. Ever,” Swinney said Nov. 1.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What is Dabo Swinney’s buyout? Could Clemson football coach be fired?
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