Where Dabo Swinney ranks among the 10 highest-paid head coaches this season

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247Sports reassessed the college football head coach salary landscape after the set of raises, extensions and new hirings this offseason.

Clemson's Dabo Swinney is right among the top paychecks still.

According to 247Sports, Swinney is currently ranked third ($11.25 million), behind Georgia's Kirby Smart ($13.28 million) and Ohio State's Ryan Day ($12.5 million).

"Swinney agreed to a 10-year contract extension in September 2022 that keeps him at Clemson through the 2031 season," 247Sports' Grant Hughes said. "He posted 12 double-digit win seasons during his tenure at Clemson and has won two national championships in four trips to the College Football Playoff. However, the on-field play fell short of expectations in recent years. Clemson suffered three-loss seasons in 2021 and 2022 and a 9-4 campaign in 2023. The Tigers did manage to secure its first College Football Playoff berth since 2020 with a win over SMU in this year's ACC Championship Game."

Per that 2022 contract, Swinney's buyout for a firing without cause drops to $60 million this year and $57 million in 2026. For 2027-31, the number is just the remaining total compensation due (Base + Supplemental + Licensing).

That deal also included a special clause for his alma mater, Alabama, which initially increased the buyout for the Crimson Tide to $3 million more than for other institutions. It is now $6 million for Alabama, compared to $4 million for others this year, and $4.5 million compared to $3 million in 2026. No buyout is due if Swinney leaves for an NFL head coaching position.

Behind Swinney nationally, Texas' Steve Sarkisian is next ($10.6M) and then USC's Lincoln Riley ($10.04M).

UNC's Bill Belichick is reportedly next at $10 million annually, which is tied with his new ACC counterpart Mike Norvell at Florida State and Alabama's Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer's buyout as of Dec. 1 was $70.05 million (per USA TODAY).

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