It has long been assumed that once Nick Saban retired, as the 72-year-old coach announced to his Alabama football team on Wednesday, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney would be a leading candidate to replace him.
We’ll find out soon enough.
A former walk-on who earned a scholarship at Alabama and was a member of the Crimson Tide’s 1992 national championship team, Swinney has never said it would be his desire to go full-circle and return to lead his alma mater. But it was a consideration by Clemson’s administration and Board of Trustees in their most recent negotiations with Swinney.
Swinney agreed to a new contract with a 10-year extension through 2031 in September 2022. That deal, worth $115 million, included a special clause that would require Swinney to pay the university a significantly higher penalty if he were to become head coach at Alabama at any point before 2031.
If Swinney were to leave Clemson for Alabama in 2024, he would owe the university $7.5 million – or $2.5 million more than if he left for a head coaching position at any other school.
That penalty is set to decrease each year, culminating with a $1.5 million penalty in 2030.
SPECIAL CLAUSE:Dabo Swinney contract includes higher penalty if he leaves Clemson football for Alabama
Swinney, a native of Pelham, Alabama, was named head coach at Clemson, replacing Tommy Bowden, seven games into the 2008 season. He has guided the program to unprecedented success.
The Tigers are 170-43 in his 16-plus seasons, including a 9-4 record last season that culminated with a five-game winning streak and a victory against Kentucky in the Gator Bowl on Dec. 29.
Swinney, whose coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Alabama under Gene Stallings in 1993, was hired by Bowden as wide receivers coach at Clemson in 2003.
Swinney became Clemson’s all-time winningest coach on Nov. 4, passing College Football Hall of Famer Frank Howard with a 31-23 victory against Notre Dame. Swinney has guided the Tigers to eight ACC titles and two national championships, including a 44-16 victory against Saban and Alabama in the 2018 National Championship Game.
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ScottKeepfer
