What are the expectations of the second-highest paid head coach in college football? National Championships shouldn’t be a far-fetched goal. But it’s taking too long for Dabo Swinney to bring home another natty. We gotta admit that he knows how to stay on top of the ACC conference after upsetting SMU in the last conference title game. But their ultimate fall to Texas in the first college football playoff round is sparking tension for his job. 

Dabo Swinney is set to earn $11.1 million this season, second only behind Georgia HC Kirby Smart with $13.28 million. In 2022, he signed a 10-year contract extension of $115 million which will stay active through 2031. But questions are arising if he’ll get to live through the whole period with Clemson. The Tigers lost yet another national championship hope to the third-highest paid CFB coach Steve Sarkisian who boasts an annual salary of $10.6 million. 

Texas had Clemson at their mercy as the Tigers trailed 38-24 in their first playoff round matchup. This means another barren national championship season, their last one being in 2018. Their fall to the Longhorns doesn’t help Dabo Swinney’s cause. But it puts Clemson in a state of dilemma. Even if they were to fire him, his buyout would blow their cap. So, we’ll see what comes up next. 

In the last ten years, he led Clemson to eight ACC Championship titles including two national championship titles in 2016 and 2018. This season’s conference championship victory over SMU landed them in the playoff picture as the No. 12 seed despite them being No. 16 in the Top 25 rankings. But six years without a national title is a long drought. Could there be changes in the staff following the fall?

Dabo Swinney on changing his staff

Dabo Swinney isn’t fazed that Clemson fell out of the playoff race. And it seems all the staff will likely retain their positions. In his postgame speech, he said, “We’re not worried about any of that stuff. We had a great year, we won the championship. We’ve got to improve in all areas. We’ve got an excellent staff. All those guys work really hard and well together.” 

At least, Dabo Swinney maintained their ACC superiority title again in their clash with Rhett Lashlee’s Mustangs. It’s not the end. This season is another eye-opener for the 55-year-old HC who stressed on improving themselves going forward. As he added, Clemson was “not good enough to win it all. So, we’ve got to get better in all areas.”

Clemson can take a break now while Texas advances to the quarterfinals to face No. 4 Arizona State in the Peach Bowl on January 1.