Success means big bucks for Swinney

Coach Dabo Swinney stands to achieve more than $1 million in performance bonuses if Clemson wins college football’s national championship.

If Clemson is selected for the College Football Playoff semifinals, Swinney would receive $400,000. He would be due another $400,000 if Clemson advances to the championship game. Winning the national championship would be worth another $100,000.

Swinney said he was not surprised the bonuses would be attainable less than two years after the contract was signed.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said Tuesday. “That’s why they’re in there. Winning a national championship is a rare thing. It’s like Halley’s Comet.”

His eight-year agreement, which runs through 2021, guaranteed Swinney $3.3 million in salary, supplement and licensing compensation this year.

Among the performance bonuses already attained are $75,000 for the team’s academic performance and $50,000 for appearing in the ACC Championship game.

If Clemson wins the ACC title, he would receive $100,000.

Should Clemson win the ACC and not reach the playoff, but instead appear in a CFB bowl game, Swinney would receive $300,000.

The contract was structured so Swinney’s salary would increase by $150,000 to $3.45 million beginning in 2016. Winning the ACC Championship would automatically kick the raise an additional $50,000 annually to $3.5 million.

Based on the USA Today survey of college football coaches’ salaries, Swinney entered the season 26th. Highest was Alabama coach Nick Saban at more than $7 million.

“It’s not any different than anybody else out there,” Swinney said of the bonus schedule. “You have a contract and you achieve certain measurements there’s incentives built in.”

This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 10:34 PM with the headline "Success means big bucks for Swinney."