Clemson football coaches to make nearly $1 million in bonuses off ACC title

The Clemson football team cruised past North Carolina on Saturday night to secure a seventh ACC championship in eight seasons and an Orange Bowl bid.

And its coaching staff earned a nice payday for the accomplishment, according to contracts obtained by The State through an open records request.

Head coach Dabo Swinney and his 10 on-field assistant coaches earned a combined $900,000 for clinching an ACC championship berth, winning the ACC title and clinching a spot in the Orange Bowl, according to bonuses spelled out in the “Performance Incentives” sections of their contracts with the university.

Working under a new 10-year, $115 million contract that made him second-highest-paid coach in the country behind Alabama’s Nick Saban in September, Swinney picked up a $50,000 bonus for appearing in the Dec. 3 ACC championship game and a $200,000 bonus for winning it.

Swinney will make an additional $150,000 when his No. 7 Clemson team plays No. 6 Tennessee in the Orange Bowl, one of four College Football Playoff non-semifinal bowls this postseason, on Dec. 30.

Swinney, who on Saturday joined Florida State’s Bobby Bowden (12 total, 10 outright) as the only coaches in conference history to win eight ACC titles, will make $10.5 million in total salary in 2022-23.

Outside of his aforementioned $400,000 in ACC championship and Orange Bowl bonuses, Swinney can make an additional $75,000 if Clemson’s single-year academic progress rate is greater than or equal to 950 (out of 1,000) or an additional $100,000 if Clemson’s single-year APR is greater than or equal to 975.

First-year offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter, first-year defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin and Clemson’s eight other on-field assistant coaches all earned $10,000 each for the Tigers’ ACC championship berth and $40,000 each for playing in the Orange Bowl.

That came out to $50,000 per assistant coach and $500,000 in total assistant coach bonuses. Unlike Swinney, no Clemson assistant has performance incentives directly tied to an ACC championship win or the team’s single-year academic progress rate.

In the final season of ACC divisional play, Clemson clinched the Atlantic Division title, an ACC championship berth and an initial round of coaching bonuses on Nov. 5. The Tigers went 8-0 in conference play for the ninth time in program history and first time since 2019.

Four weeks later, Clemson trailed 7-0 in the first quarter of the ACC championship against Coastal Division champion North Carolina but outscored the Tar Heels 39-3 the rest of the way behind an MVP performance from backup quarterback Cade Klubnik (328 yards of total offense, two touchdowns, zero turnovers) and a number of big plays from its defense.

By virtue of their win, the Tigers clinched an automatic bid to the Orange Bowl, which annually hosts the ACC champion or the highest remaining ACC team in the CFP Top 25 rankings if the conference champion goes to the four-team College Football Playoff.

At 11-2 this year with inopportune losses to Notre Dame and South Carolina, Clemson was good enough for the former but not the latter. Had North Carolina won the ACC championship, Clemson would have been relegated to a second consecutive non-New Year’s Six bowl after beating Iowa State in the Cheez-It Bowl last season.

In that instance, all Clemson coaches would have received a reduced bonus under a “Bowl Game w/ 8 or more regular season wins” stipulation: $75,000 for Swinney and $20,000 for each of Clemson’s 10 assistant coaches.

Heading into the Dec. 30 Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium near Miami, here’s a closer look at how end-of-year bonuses affected annual salaries for each Clemson football coach. (Neither Swinney nor any of his assistants will receive a bonus if Clemson wins the Orange Bowl.)

According to the contracts, performance bonuses “shall be paid to Coach on or before the first scheduled payroll date of March after the triggering event.”

Clemson football coaches salaries

Set annual salaries for 2022-23 (salary plus accumulated bonuses in parentheses).

• Head coach Dabo Swinney: $10.5 million ($10.9 million)

• OC/QBs coach Brandon Streeter: $925,000 ($975,000)

• DC/LBs coach Wes Goodwin: $850,000 ($900,000)

• Co-DC/safeties coach Mickey Conn: $800,00 ($850,000)

• DTs coach Nick Eason: $750,000 ($800,000)

• CBs coach/ST coordinator Mike Reed: $700,000 ($750,000)

• DEs coach Lemanski Hall: $625,000 ($675,000)

• TEs coach Kyle Richardson: $500,000 ($550,000)

• WRs coach Tyler Grisham: $450,000 ($500,000)

• RBs coach C.J. Spiller: $450,000 ($500,000)

• OL coach Thomas Austin: $450,000 ($500,000)