The Dabo Swinney era is over at Clemson.
While it has not yet been made official, after Saturday night's humiliation against LSU it feels like only a matter of time until the Clemson administration realizes what they need to do. They need to fire the best coach in program history, one who led them to the pinnacle of the sport and won two national
championships.
But Swinney is also a coach who has proven unable, and more importantly unwilling, to change with the times of college football. The questions now are: How much would it cost to move on, and who would Clemson attempt to replace him with?
For question No. 1, we must turn to the terms of the contract Swinney has with the university, which makes it cheaper to fire him now than after the season.
What is Dabo Swinney's buyout at Clemson?
The 10-year contract Swinney signed before the 2022 season included a tiered buyout in which the cost would be a percentage of the remaining contract if Swinney was let go during the first five years — a period which just so happens to end after this season. If Swinney was still employed entering the final five seasons of the contract, he would be owed the full amount remaining on the deal.
What all that boils down to is that Clemson would owe Swinney $57 million if they fired him during the 2026 season. If the school waits until after this season to make the decision, the buyout number will go up to $60 million before moving down by approximately $12 million each season thereafter.
No matter when he is fired, Swinney is owed the entire buyout. There is no mitigation language to provide Clemson any relief should Swinney find employment with another school, something he said in 2025 that he will certainly do. So, before moving on to who will replace Swinney, the school must decide if it wants to pay the financial price that comes with the move.
Assuming the administration decides to move on, who are some of the coaches who
could replace the legendary coach? It seems likely that a place as tight-knit as Clemson might want to turn the keys over to somebody they already know. Swinney has had some wonderful coaches who have worked underneath him over the years; some of them have moved on and been successful. elsewhere, while others have just moved on.
There may be a few former Tigers who could take over the reigns after Swinney’s
time is up.
Possible former Clemson connections who could take over for Dabo Swinney
Not in the running
Brent Venables, Oklahoma head coach
After being the best defensive coordinator in the country with Clemson, Venables returned as a hero to Oklahoma following the departure of Lincoln Riley.
It did not immediately go well in Norman for Venables, and this led to him being on the hot seat after the second season back. But now, after a 10-3 finish in 2025, Venables is working with a new contract extension and an elite defense with the ability to return to the playoffs for a second straight season. Venables is not going to be willing to leave a place like Oklahoma for a school like Clemson — especially to follow a legend such as Swinney with whom he's still close.
Venables has a top -10 coaching job in the country. This is not a position to leave for a job which is, at best, a lateral move. Besides, no one wants to be the guy after the guy like Ron Zook or Kalen DeBoer.
Chad Morris, Clemson OC
A wonderful offensive mind, Morris held the head coaching position with SMU before
parlaying that into the position with Arkansas. We all remember how well that worked
out. Morris is just now, finally getting a chance to return to major football. He is not
ready for the heat of being the man after the man.
Jeff Scott, former Clemson OC and current radio announcer
Just no!
Former offensive coordinator Scott failed miserably at South Florida in his previous stop. In three seasons, Scott went 4-26 as head coach, including 1-19 in conference, and never won more than two games in a given year.
This was a terrible sight, and honestly was the first in a line of coaching failures by those coming from the Swinney tree. Hiring Scott would work out much more like Urban Meyer with the Jacksonville Jaguars and less like Dan Mullen at UNLV.
Possible contenders
Tajh Boyd, Clemson QB coach
Currently the quarterbacks coach at his alma mater, Boyd never wanted to get into coaching after he
finished playing. But, after being poked and prodded by Swinney, Boyd finally joined the staff of the Tigers in 2021.
A former quarterback himself for Clemson and later in the NFL, Boyd was promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024 before getting promoted again in 2025. Swinney himself thinks that Boyd will be a head coach one day and, despite all his failures of late, Swinney has knowledge of the game which is matched by very few people. His word will hold a lot of weight, and if he likes Boyd, the Tigers would be foolish not to consider him.
With no current head coaching experience, Boyd would be a unique hire at such a prestigious program. But, if Clemson wants to remain inside the family, he would be a bold choice while also keeping the Swinney legacy around the program.
Tony Elliott, Virginia HC
Elliott, who has Virginia on the upswing after a bumpy start to his tenure, would be a perfect fit in Clemson.
Not only does he know the culture surrounding the program, but he was also the offensive play-caller for the Tigers during their two national championship runs before leaving for Charlottesville.
Elliott has dealt with a lot of turmoil in Virginia, from lack of resources compared to
other schools to a tragedy of massive proportions. He has seen the Cavaliers program through a lot.
Clemson has not had a statement win since defeating a Notre Dame team, who was
ranked No. 15 and finished with a 10-3 record in 2023. Much of this has been due to the
lackluster play of the offense, starting with the quarterback position. With Eliott leading the
way, the offense can get back on track and the Tigers can roar.
Matt Luke, Clemson OL coach
Matt Luke is known for the offensive lines he has helped to mold. In 2020, he was named the associate head coach and offensive line coach with Georgia, where he's helped to develop offensive tackle Ben Cleveland into a first team All-SEC lineman and Warren McClendon earn All-SEC freshman honors.
Before taking his position at Georgia, he was the head coach at Ole Miss from 2017 to 2019. Having taken the job just one week before fall camp started, after the abrupt departure of Hugh Freeze, Luke, who was the offensive line coach before the promotion, led the team to a 6-6 record before having the interim tag removed. After three seasons at Ole Miss and two top-25 recruiting classes, Luke was unceremoniously fired while on a recruiting trip and was forced to return quickly to Oxford to learn the truth for real.
Although this soured him on his alma mater, he has since shown loyalty to the school in other ways. This type of loyalty is a key with Swinney and shows Clemson the type of coach they would be
gaining — someone like Swinney, and someone who is also going to be able and willing to
recruit at a higher level than Swinney has in recent years.
Billy Napier, James Madison HC
Sure, he was fired by Clemson, which eventually jump-started his coaching career. And sure, he
took a struggling Florida football team, re-stocked the roster with elite talent and still
made the overall record worse. But he is the head coach at James Madison, and this means he
is the next Curt Cignetti and Bob Chesney. Right?
Well, Napier is still a great recruiter. He would love to be able to get a job like Clemson,
and if the Tigers force him to hire a real offensive coordinator, he might be good in the
role. Is he a contender? As a serious candidate, no. But he is a coach and did work for
Swinney. So, he is on the list. Plus, I hear he loves waterfalls and miniature golf
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