Dabo Swinney’s buyout puts Clemson in a difficult place

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Once known as one of the best coaches in college football, Father Time has appeared to pass Dabo Swinney. The Clemson Tigers have been a shell of what they once were and the start of the 2026 season has been horrendous for Swinney and Clemson.

The Tigers were blown out in Week 1 by LSU 51-10, defeated Georgia Southern 22-7 in Week 2, and, as of this writing, North Carolina is up 14-3 over the Tigers in the first quarter in Week 3.

Swinney is under pressure to turn things around and the fanbase of the Tigers is getting antsy, but Swinney’s performance has put Clemson in a tough situation.

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$57 million reasons why

If things continue to go south for Swinney at Clemson and the Tigers would want to move on, Clemson would have to fork out $57 million to buy out the long-time head coach if the move is made before the calendar switches to 2027.

And if the Tigers choose to fire Swinney on Jan. 1, 2027, or later, Clemson would have to pay Swinney “the sum of the remaining base salary and supplemental compensation that would otherwise have been due.”

Swinney signed a 10-year $115 million deal ahead of the 2022 season, and the deal runs through the 2031 season.

Clemson is coming off its worst season since 2010. The Tigers went 7-6 last season in 2025. In 2011, one year after going 6-7, Swinney had 12 straight seasons of at least 10 wins and he won two national titles during that span.

The Tigers were expected to compete for the national title last season and that was with veteran Cade Klubnik behind center. With Klubnik gone, Swinney is on his second QB in three weeks, with freshman Tait Reynolds under center.

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