Clemson’s assistants just received new contracts. Will Dabo get one as well?
Clemson football’s 10 assistant coaches received new contracts on Thursday when the Board of Trustees approved new deals for offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, defensive coordinator Brent Venables and the rest of the Tigers’ on-field staff.
But it doesn’t appear as if Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney will be next, according to Clemson AD Dan Radakovich.
Swinney received a new lucrative deal last April, a 10-year contract that will pay him an average of $9.3 million annually. And Clemson has no plans of giving Swinney a new contract this offseason after leading the Tigers to the College Football Playoff for the fifth consecutive season.
Swinney received new contracts in the past five years in the offseasons following the 2018, 2016 and 2015 seasons.
“We just did that in April. I think we’re probably in a pretty good spot,” Radakovich said Thursday.
Swinney is set to make $8.25 million in 2020, before that number jumps to $8.5 million in 2021 and 2022. Swinney will make $8.75 million in 2023, $9 million in 2024, $9.25 million in 2025, $9.5 million in 2026 and $10 million in 2027 and 2028.
“We’re incredibly happy that we have now created a great commitment from Clemson to coach Swinney and from coach Swinney to Clemson,” Radakovich said when Swinney received his new deal last year. “I think he’s a generational coach. There’s no coach better for Clemson than Dabo Swinney. Very excited to have that put to bed and being able to move forward.”
Schedule change?
Clemson typically plays a Power 5 opponent, in addition to South Carolina, each season.
The Tigers faced Texas A&M, Auburn, Georgia and Notre Dame over the past decade, and Clemson has faced two Power 5 teams out of conference every year since 2010. Clemson will keep that streak alive this season as the Tigers face Notre Dame in South Bend, but as things stand now, that run will come to an end in 2021.
Clemson’s current out of conference schedule for 2021 features games against S.C. State, Wyoming, UConn and South Carolina.
“This (2021) circumstance occurred because we played Notre Dame here in (2015) and we’re going back in (2020) for the back end of that home-and-home,” Radakovich explained Thursday. “I look at 2021, and it is a little bit of an anomaly, given what’s in front of us after 2021.”
While Clemson has only one Power 5 opponent on its out of conference slate for 2021 at the moment, it sounds as though that could change. Radakovich indicated that Clemson is keeping its options open and the Tigers could switch out an opponent to play another Power 5 program.
“We keep our ear to the ground to try to see if there are other opportunities that could be out there,” Radakovich said. “Football schedules are being made 10 to 12 to sometimes 15 years in advance. It makes it a little bit difficult. But we’re not going to close the door on anything right up until the time that we’re ready to play that schedule.”
In addition to the game at Notre Dame this season, Clemson has future out of conference matchups set against Notre Dame (2022 and 2023), Georgia (2024), LSU (2025 and 2026), Notre Dame (2027 and 2028), Georgia (2029 and 2030), Notre Dame (2031), Georgia (2032 and 2033), Notre Dame (2034), Oklahoma (2035 and 2036) and Notre Dame (2037).
