The Clemson Tigers have hit stunning levels over the last four weekends, going from a College Football Playoff to the type of trainwreck you can't look away from. On Saturday, the Clemson Tigers fell to 1-3 on the season, which practically eliminates them from College Football Playoff contention with a loss to the Syracuse Orange.
On Saturday, the Clemson Tigers lost once again to an unranked opponent, only adding to the recent struggles. From 2012 to 2020, Dabo Swinney only lost to unranked teams twice, but, since 2021, the Tigers have now done it 9 times, speaking to just how far the program has fallen.
Losing to Syracuse is absolutely stunning, especially given the fact that the Tigers are coming off a loss and came out flat. Dabo Swinney spent the week firing back at the critics over his recent track record, and in this game, he only gave the haters more fuel.
Clemson is almost in an impossible position as Dabo Swinney has done so much for the program but, it's also clear that his style of coaching and recruiting doesn't work in this new era. The Tigers are going to need to have serious internal conversations, but the Tigers eventually may need to pull the plug.
How much is Dabo Swinney's buyout?
In 2021, Clemson signed Dabo Swinney to a 10-year deal worth $115 million, which makes it impossible to move on from Dabo Swinney. If Dabo Swinney is fired after this season, Clemson would owe him $60 million. Even if Clemson waits until next season to fire Swinney, the figure is still $57 million, which is hard to stomach. There is no offset language in Swinney's contract, which means even if he takes a job elsewhere, Clemson doesn't get any relief, which means it may be too much to move on from him.
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