Clemson's Dabo Swinney on Coaching Salaries: 'I Don't Apologize for Being Successful'

One day after opposing any movement to "professionalize" college sports, the head football coach of the team commented on his hefty salary.

When asked if college athletes should be paid, Swinney said the following.

The Alabama head football coach is 70 years old. I am 52 years old. We don't set markets on what we do. We live in a capitalist society. The people who are checking your baggage are as important as the head of Delta. We don't set markets on what we do. We live in a free market. It is just that our jobs are so public. None of us got into coaching to make money, but I don't apologize for being successful.

According to Low, Swinney said Friday that while he isn't against the NCAA's name, image and likeness (NIL) rules allowing college athletes to make money, he has concerns about what it could lead to.

I am against anything that devalues education. That is what I am against. I'm for anything that encourages education. I have always said that I am against the professionalism of college athletics and people will come after me. Kids don't know what they don't know. If you professionalize college athletics, you can fire kids on the spot, and they have to pay for their tuition, housing, and everything else, which is a slippery slope. Athletic directors would sign up for that. They would save money.

When USA Today released its list of the highest-paid head coaches in college football in November, Swinney was fourth on the list with an average annual salary of over $8.3 million.

The NIL guidelines will be used as a recruiting tool, as well as being out of control, and an absolute mess, as was suggested to Low by Swinney.

When asked by Low if college football coaches make too much money, he didn't provide a definitive answer, but he brought up the impact that Saban has had on the University of Alabama and expressed his belief that he is probably underpaid.

In terms of impact, there is no denying that the program has been very positive under the leadership of Swinney.

He has led the Tigers to a remarkable 150-36 record, having won seven Atlantic Coast Conference titles and two national titles.

Each of the past 11 seasons, the team has won 10 or more games. Before the start of the streak, the Tigers hadn't won 10 or more games in a season since 1990.

It was considered a step back when the team missed out on the College Football Playoff and went 10-3 in 2021.

That speaks to the winning culture that has been created at the school, and it also shows why he is one of the most well-compensated coaches in collegiate athletics.