The Real Cost of Parting Ways with Dabo Swinney

Nov 6, 2025, 4:22 AM

Currently, if Clemson decides to terminate Coach Swinney, the cost is about $60M. If both parties decide to mutually part ways and Dabo were to be hired by another school, his buyout is $4M unless it is Alabama. If Alabama hires him away from Clemson his buyout is currently $6M.

Now, that is merely the monetary costs of parting ways with Coach Swinney. However, I want to discuss the real costs of parting ways with Coach Dabo Swinney that may have a lasting negative impact on the state of Clemson Football for decades. Here are few main points that I want to make that most may or may not agree with. This is merely my personal take on it.

Point 1. If Clemson fires Coach Swinney, you can imagine that some of his reasonable coaching hires would leave with him. They would either be fired as well or leave on their own to coach elsewhere. The replacements would most likely cost much less but have much less experience than Coach Swinney and his coaching hires such as Matt Luke or Tom Allen.

Point 2. Many of the current team members on the roster that show actual promise would leave to play for another school. With the coaches leaving, the new hires will not be guaranteed to have a full roster intact to develop. Also, the new coaches would not be highly touted or experienced. They can recruit the portal and boost NIL all day long, but the fact remains that the method in question does NOT win championships. Take FSU for a solid example. They recruited 37 players from the portal this past season and they currently sit where Clemson sits this season. What a waste of money.

Point 3. The cost of a buyout and hiring a blue-chip coach would exceed what Clemson is willing to pay. So, Clemson is stuck with paying a higher cost to receive the same results if not worse results whenever you calculate the buyout and the new contract. Please see FSU and Jimbo Fisher for a proper reference.

Point 4. What coach would want to come to Clemson whenever a National Championship Coach is fired for one bad season? Sure, there was a slight decline in results for the past five seasons, but in the eyes of most coaches who have experience in this profession, they view Coach Swinney's performance for the past five years through a different lens than a fan. Trust me, we would end up with a moron as the head coach, and the recruiting would drop drastically. This would only fan the flames to the dumpster fire that would result from firing Coach Swinney.

I provide this 4-point reference to remind everyone that Coach Swinney is a Hall of Fame Legend at Clemson and whenever a Legend gets fired or retires, a program slumps into a depression for a long time and in the worst-case scenario, it can slump for more than three decades. That being said, if you don't mind all of the recruits decommitting, players leaving, and the entire replacement coaching staff being cheaper but inexperienced for the next 6 years, then by all means, "FIRE DABO". If anyone believes for a minute that things will immediately improve with Dabo coaching elsewhere, then you are dead wrong. Look at what happened whenever they fired Danny Ford. The program was a middle of the pack ACC team for 20 years. In this atmosphere, it would be much longer before Clemson even has the chance to look at the mountain of College Football Championships. Clemson would be blowing large amounts of money for decades trying to find another coach like Dabo Swinney to lead the program. At the end of the day, it just isn't worth it. Clemson would just become a basketball school or a baseball school. Even worse, it could become a volleyball school.

flag link

military_tech

thumb_down

thumb_up

Our country won't go on forever, if we stay soft as we are now. There won't be any America because some foreign soldiery will invade us and take our women and breed a hardier race.

~Chesty Puller
Lt.General United States Marine Corps

“ Sure, there was a slight decline in results for the past five seasons, but in the eyes of most coaches who have experience in this profession, they view Coach Swinney's performance for the past five years through a different lens than a fan.”

— I think the performance is enhanced by Clemson being in the SEC footprint but playing in the ACC. Clemson is a heavyweight playing in a middleweight class. Clemson is losing to flippin’ Duke and SMU, not UGA and Bama.

One key difference between Dabo and his predecessors is Clemson has invested more in him. Much has been spent on facilities and staff salaries. I think Dabo has been as high as the second highest paid coach at one time and still in the top 3-4. So it makes sense that the expectations are (rightfully) higher now than during previous regimes. If Clemson gave all that to someone else, he could probably do fine in the ACC too.

I think Dabo will (and should) survive this season no matter what, even losing to Furman. But if next year is mediocre too, I think dismissal would be justified from a performance standpoint. Not sure about the buyout factors and all that jazz.

The Real Cost of Parting Ways with Dabo Swinney

Re: The Real Cost of Parting Ways with Dabo Swinney

Its an absolutely ridiculous, naive mindset.***

I haven't read the contract. But if CDS chooses to

Re: I haven't read the contract. But if CDS chooses to

Apparently, you ARE an old Marine.

No those pieces of the buyout are what Dabo would owe Clemson.

Thank you!***

It's a tad confusing because

Re: No those pieces of the buyout are what Dabo would owe Clemson.

Re: Apparently, you ARE an old Marine.

Re: Apparently, you ARE an old Marine.

Re: The Real Cost of Parting Ways with Dabo Swinney

Re: The Real Cost of Parting Ways with Dabo Swinney

Re: The Real Cost of Parting Ways with Dabo Swinney

Re: The Real Cost of Parting Ways with Dabo Swinney

Re: The Real Cost of Parting Ways with Dabo Swinney

A bird in the hand.

Re: A bird in the hand.

Re: The Real Cost of Parting Ways with Dabo Swinney

TigerBoard POTD