Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Dabo Swinney’s contract and buyout sends clear message on Clemson future

Originally posted on CFB-HQ on SI | By Zachary McKinnell | Last updated Oct 18, 2025 7:59 PM ET

Things have continued to spiral for Clemson under head coach Dabo Swinney.

The Tigers lost to SMU 35-24 on Saturday, falling to 3-4 overall and 2-3 in the ACC. It was a disappointing performance after Clemson had back-to-back dominant wins over Boston College and North Carolina the past two games.

Backup quarterback Christopher Vizzina played well in place of the injured Cade Klubnik, who missed the game with an ankle injury. It snapped a 34-game starting streak for Klubnik, who has had an up-and-down season for the Tigers.

Even with fans calling for the program to make a change at head coach, it appears Swinney will not be headed anywhere soon, even after Clemson's disappointing loss to SMU.

Swinney signed a 10-year, $115 million extension in 2021, which runs through the 2031 season. If the Tigers were to make a change at head coach this year, the program would owe Swinney a $60 million buyout. It's the 8th-highest buyout in college football.

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There's no real indication that Clemson has any desire to move on from Swinney, but one of the largest buyouts in the sport makes this move even less likely. It's worth noting that Swinney's buyout is almost $4 million more than James Franklin's buyout was at Penn State.

Swinney didn't hold back when addressing the growing criticism after Clemson's loss to Georgia Tech earlier this season.

"If they want me gone, they're tired of winning; they can send me on the way, because that's all we've done is win," Swinney said. "So if they're tired of winning... We've won this league eight out of the last 10 years. Is that not good?"

Clemson has reached new heights under Swinney, including winning two CFP national championships in 2016 and 2018. He's led the Tigers to nine ACC championships, including six consecutive championships from 2015 to 2020.

In 18 seasons, Swinney has an 183-51 overall record, including an 111-27 record in conference play. He's been named the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year three times, while winning the ACC Coach of the Year twice.

"Yeah, we a little down right now. Take your shots, but I got a long memory in case y'all don't know," Swinney continued. "We'll be all right. We'll bounce back. This is a program that's built to last, always has been, always will be. And if you don't believe in us because we've lost two games down to the last straight, you didn't believe in us anyway. So it don't matter."

Swinney's buyout drops to $57 million in 2026, but after 2027, the buyout is the full remaining salary left on his contract.

This article first appeared on CFB-HQ on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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