CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson University has signed head football coach Dabo Swinney to a new 10-year contract, a reward coming months he led the team to another national title.
The school's board of trustees approved the deal Friday morning, The measure runs through 2028. He'll earn $8.25 million this year, and $10 million a season in the final two years of the deal. Over the lifetime of the contract, he'll earn $93 million.
Per year, he'll earn as much as Alabama's Nick Saban.
"Dabo’s leadership of our football program has brought value, exposure and unprecedented levels of success not only to our athletics program but to the entire university," Clemson Athletics Director Dan Radakovich said in a statement. "He has demonstrated the ability to consistently achieve at the highest level on and off the field, and he has done so with a commitment to integrity and core principles. This new agreement is evidence of Clemson’s steadfast commitment to Dabo and to our football program, and we are thrilled that he and his family will be a part of our community for years to come.”
Swinney is the most successful coach in the history of Clemson football. He's won two national championship and 5 ACC Championships since taking over midway through the 2008 season.
In January, the team earned a 44-16 victory over Alabama in the most recent College Football Playoff National Championship. The 2018 team was the first program in the modern era to finish a season 15-0, and Swinney stands as one of only two active coaches in the country with multiple FBS national championships to his credit.
“I am grateful and humbled by the incredible commitment Clemson has made to me, my family and our football program,” Swinney said in statement. “For more than a decade, we have given our all to provide this world-class university and our incredible fans the championship football program they deserve – to live up to Best is the Standard. With this contract, we make a collective statement that we intend to continue pursuing championships and developing total student-athletes for years to come. Our sustained continuity in vision, people and culture has been a key ingredient to our success, on- and off-the field. I am thankful for the leadership we have at Clemson and appreciate all they do for Clemson Football. I am truly blessed to be your Head Football Coach.”
Intriguingly, the deal's buyout clauses ensure that Swinney would earn less money if he were to leave the program for the Alabama Crimson Tide. For years there's been speculation that Swinney could be a successor Saban, in part because Swinney was a player there in college.'