The Clemson Tigers are only 1 half through the first game of the season, but it already feels like the year is over. After a disappointing season in 2025, there was still some hope that Dabo Swinney could bounce back and bring Clemson back to ACC and National Championship contention. Opening the night on the road in Baton Rouge for the first game of the Lane Kiffin era was about as hard of a task as a team could have.
Weather ended up delaying the inevitable, as the only thing that slowed LSU was the lightning in the area, as the new look Tigers jumped out to a 31-3 lead in the 1st half. When Ashton Hampton intercepted Sam Leavitt's second attempt of the night it looked like the Tigers may be in business, but it proved to be false hope.
How much is Dabo Swinney's buyout?
As Clemson once again looks eliminated from National Championship contention before the season even begins, uncomfortable conversations around Dabo Swinney are going to resume. It's clear that Swinney doesn't have a handle on this new era of college football, and fans are going to ask if the program should finally move on.
Dabo Swinney signed a massive 10-year, $115 million extension in September of 2022 which will make it hard for Clemson to ever fire him. If Clemson were to fire Dabo Swinney during or after the 2026 season, they would owe him roughly $57 million, but the issue is that number won't get lower the rest of his current contract.
Given how much money teams already pour into rosters, it's hard to imagine a team coughing up $57 million before hiring a new coach, and bringing in new players, which adds up to a massive bill. LSU and Penn State paid massive buyouts to fire Brian Kelly and James Franklin, but that's not normal in this new era.
The only way it seems that Dabo Swinney and Clemson would part ways is if the two sides mutually parted ways. It's almost impossible to fire Dabo Swinney, given how much he's done for the program, but it's also clear that as long as he's the head coach the Tigers won't capitalize in this new era.
The rest of the season is going to be important for Swinney and Clemson as both sides are going to need to hope this game says more about LSU than it does about Clemson.
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