Clemson Booster's Face Breathtaking Problem With Potentially Firing Dabo Swinney
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Some Clemson Tigers donors are calling for Dabo Swinney to be fired as head coach amid the team's early struggles this season.
Swinney was stubborn this offseason, choosing to bring back Chad Morris as offensive coordinator and rely on a quarterback battle between Christopher Vizzina and Tait Reynolds to fix that side of the ball rather than add elite players, and a quarterback, in the transfer portal.
The results through two games are not promising for the Tigers. They lost 51-10 to LSU in Week 1 and looked sluggish in a 22-7 win over GA Southern at home in Week 2.
There might be a willingness among boosters to go in a different direction, but firing Swinney, who is currently tied for the sixth-highest coaching salary in college football, won't be easy.
Per Brandon Marcello and Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, Clemson appears to lack the financial firepower to fire Swinney and pay for his approximately $57 million buyout.
"It would require hefty financial support from Clemson boosters to fund that buyout, and one source familiar with Clemson's inner workings doesn't see any individual booster stepping forward to, for instance, cover half the buyout to soften the burden for the school," they wrote.
Florida State is facing a similar issue with Mike Norvell. It would cost the Noles nearly $100 million to fire Norvell, pay for his buyout, hire a new coach, and rebuild the roster. Some Florida State fans have started a website to find donations to help pay for the cost of Norvell's buyout.
Clemson could do the same, but for now their base seems too small to make such a move.
"Clemson does not have a large alumni base and is not swimming in the type of cash that would make buying out Swinney, hiring a new coaching staff, and reinvesting in the roster feasible without a major donor carrying a large burden of the financial strain," Marcello and Zenitz wrote.
It's a breathtaking problem for Clemson's donors to deal with this year.
If the Tigers are unable to pay for a new coach, they could curb Swinney's powers to run the program and hire a strong general manager who can put together a roster for the legendary head coach.
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