Clemson football hiring veteran NFL staffer for new ‘player acquisition’ role
Three Clemson football coaches are getting raises in 2025.
The team is also hiring an NFL staffer away for a new off-field position.
The Clemson University Board of Trustees’ compensation committee unanimously approved salary bumps Friday for tight ends coach Kyle Richardson, wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham and running backs coach CJ Spiller.
Kevin Kelly, who is currently with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, was also hired as the team’s new director of player evaluation and acquisition at a starting annual salary of $360,000. He has 22 years of NFL scouting experience.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said in a news release that Kelly will work specifically on player acquisition, evaluation and retention. Kelly was most recently the Chargers’ senior director of college scouting.
With direct athlete compensation beginning this summer and the transfer portal big as ever, college football is operating more and more like professional football.
“I’m super excited to have Kevin Kelly joining our staff,” Swinney said in a release. “To be able to add someone with his experience is a great benefit to Clemson. He’s got over 20 years of front office experience in scouting and evaluation of player personnel, so he will bring a wealth of experience.”
As part of Friday’s approvals, Richardson, Grisham and Spiller (the team’s three lowest-paid football assistants) all received raises and updated titles.
Richardson added a co-offensive coordinator title, and his salary will go from $600,000 to 637,500 in 2025 and $675,000 in 2026.
Grisham added a passing game coordinator title, and he’ll go from a $550,000 salary to $575,000 in 2025 and $600,000 in 2026.
And Spiller, the former Tigers star, is now Clemson’s run game coordinator and will make $550,000 in 2025 and $575,000 in 2026 (up from $550,000 last year).
Four Clemson football support staffers also received raises Friday, led by general manager Jordan Sorrells. Sorrells is one of the team’s top recruiting/personnel leaders and got a $75,000 salary boost, from $315,000 last year to $390,000 this year.
Athletic director Graham Neff said Sorrells’ new salary “reflects the market for that position.” College football GMs are quickly becoming key assets for programs.
The compensation committee also unanimously approved updated contracts for four other assistant coaches during a routine re-upping Clemson usually does during the university’s winter quarterly board meeting in January/February.
Assistants Garrett Riley, Matt Luke, Nick Eason and Chris Rumph were all extended through 2028. Two assistant coaches, Mike Reed and Mickey Conn, did not receive a raise or contract extension Friday and their deals will continue to run through 2027.
Defensive coordinator Tom Allen’s contract was not altered since he was hired so recently. The former Indiana coach and Penn State DC was officially hired as Wes Goodwin’s replacement on Jan. 14 and is making $1.9 million this year.
Per USA TODAY’s database, Clemson ranked No. 3 nationally in total assistant coach pay for the 2024 season, paying $9.675 million to its ten assistant coaches. That number was second only to reigning national champion Ohio State ($11.425 million) and Georgia ($10.332 million) and just above Alabama ($9.475 million).
After replacing Goodwin ($1.4 million) with Allen ($1.9 million) and handing out a few raises Friday, Clemson should remain in the top five in assistant coach pay nationally (if not higher) when that database is updated for the 2025 season.
Swinney remains on a 10-year, $115 million contract signed in 2022. Swinney will make $11.25 million in total compensation this year, the third highest salary in the sport behind UGA’s Kirby Smart ($13 million) and OSU’s Ryan Day ($12.5 million). Day signed a contract extension earlier this week.
The Tigers went 10-4 last year, winning the ACC championship and appearing in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Clemson returns the majority of its starters this season and is considered a preseason top 10 team nationally.
Clemson football 2025 coach salaries
Listed by total salary; raises noted in parentheses
- HC Dabo Swinney: $11.25 million
- DC/LBs coach Tom Allen: $1.9 million
- OC/QBs coach Garrett Riley: $1.75 million
- DTs coach Nick Eason: $1.1 million
- OL coach Matt Luke: $1.1 million
- DEs coach Chris Rumph: $1 million
- CBs coach Mike Reed: $950,000
- Safeties coach Mickey Conn: $950,000
TEs coach Kyle Richardson: $637,500 (up from $600,000)
WRs coach Tyler Grisham: $575,000 (up from $550,000)
- RBs coach CJ Spiller: $575,000 (up from $550,000)
This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 9:59 AM.
