Dabo Swinney net worth, salary and endorsements: how much is the Clemson football head coach worth in 2023?

Last September, Clemson football head coach Dabo Swinney penned a new contract extension to keep him with the Tigers for another ten years. Swinney has been serving as head coach of the Clemson Tigers since 2009, leading the team to victory at the College Football Playoff in 2016 and 2018.

Swinney’s consistent run of good performances has earned him a new $115 million contract extension spanning ten years. With this deal, Swinney secured the record of receiving the largest contract by total value of any college coach.

Breakdown of Dabo Swinney’s contract

Dabo Swinney's new contract with Clemson has put him only behind Nick Saban of Alabama in terms of average annual salary. His $11.5 million annual average is only a couple of hundred thousand shy of Nick Saban’s $11.7 million. The contract will run for ten years, terminating at the end of the 2031 season.

Swinney’s base salary will be the sum of $9 million, with add-ons that are earned based on performance. Swinney can also earn bonuses for achieving certain benchmarks, such as winning ACC championships, qualifying for the College Football Playoff, and winning the national championship.

A heavy buyout of $100 million is included in the deal, payable to Clemson if Swinney wants out of the deal. If his departure is to take up the head coach role at Alabama, the buyout will be a whopping $400 million.

Other income sources

A sports personality of Dabo Swinney’s reputation is expected to make income from multiple sources apart from what they make from their salaries. In Swinney’s case, speaking engagements constitute a significant extra income stream. According to 247Sports, he made between $75,000 and $150,000 from different speaking engagements from 2018 to 2019.

Despite his popularity and clout, Dabo Swinney doesn’t seem eager to earn from NIL deals. He has been critical of the spreading trend among college athletes to earn from their name, image, and likeness. However, his position on this is subject to change, and we may soon witness him endorsing a big brand.

As of August 2022, Swinney’s net worth was estimated to be about $30 million. Multiple sources, including Celebrity Net Worth, agree on this amount. However, with the current deal Swinney got from Clemson, his valuation must have definitely gone up. While no official estimation is available, it is safe to say Swinney’s current worth cannot be less than $50 million.