Story by
Here's Garrett Riley's buyout after Dabo Swinney fires Clemson football OC
- Story by
- Here's Garrett Riley's buyout after Dabo Swinney fires Clemson football OC
CLEMSON — Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney fired offensive coordinator Garrett Riley on Dec. 29 after three seasons, triggering a university buyout.
Riley was Clemson 's second-highest paid assistant, making $1.75 million annually with two years left on his contract. Only defensive coordinator Tom Allen made more than Riley, who was the 13th highest-paid assistant coach in the country among public universities and colleges last season according to USA Today's database.
Advertisement
After averaging 29.8 points in his inaugural season in 2023, Clemson's offense averaged 34.7 points in 2024 (18th in FBS) for the Tigers to win the ACC and make the College Football Playoff.
However, unit regressed this year to average 27.2 points (70th) despite returning experienced players, including quarterback Cade Klubnik , to miss the ACC title game and CFP.
As a result, Swinney moved on from Riley. Here's how much Clemson owes Riley.
How much Clemson football owes Garrett Riley after firing
Clemson terminated Riley's contract early without cause, meaning he is owed the remainder of his contract: $3.5 million. However, his buyout can be reduced if he finds another job, triggering mitigation.
Advertisement
Mitigation happens when an employee finds new employment, and the person's buyout amount owed is reduced by the amount earned at the new job during the remainder of the terminated contract.
If Riley leaves Clemson to take another assistant college job, he would owe Clemson 25% of his remaining salary ($875,000), though the university has the discretion to waive that. If he takes a head coach job at a college program or any coaching position with an NFL team, there is no buyout.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at DCarter@usatodayco.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Garrett Riley buyout for fired Clemson football offensive coordinator
