CLEMSON — One thing Clemson fans complain about the most regarding its football team is how many people Dabo Swinney has on his staff, and we are not just talking about the coaching staff.
You hear Clemson fans call it the “Friends and Family Plan,” as Swinney has had family members, along with former players, on his staff a lot through the years. And they are not wrong.
When taking a close look at who is on the football staff at Clemson, you see family members, you see friends of the family, you see friends of the family’s children, you see former coaches, you see children of former coaches and you see former players.
It’s a lot of people – 90 to be exact. It takes the Clemson Family to a new level.
However, this is not new at Clemson. Swinney has been adding to his staff for years and with NCAA lifting restrictions a few years ago of how many coaches can be on a football staff, Clemson took advantage of it, as did other big-time college programs.
But are this many staffers needed in this day and age of collegiate athletics. This is the time when spending is as difficult as ever. Some of that money that is being allocated for Clemson football staffers can possibly go elsewhere in the athletic department or toward revenue sharing with the student athletes.
Also, if the Tigers do have to part ways with Swinney, which will mean they will be on the hook for a $57 million buyout, by trimming the staff to where Clemson is more in line with the market, is a way the school can save millions of dollars.
This got us thinking at The Clemson Insider. How does Clemson compare to other competitors in terms of coaching and staff personnel?
It was no surprise that Clemson leads the ACC in the number of people on its football staff. How is that working out for the Tigers, not so well, as of late.
Despite having the largest coaching and personnel staff in the ACC, the Tigers are 11-9 in their last 20 games, including 2-8 vs. Power 4 opponents at Death Valley.
These are the numbers fans are not happy about, especially when they see Miami, who is second behind Clemson with 84 staffers, ranked No. 1 in the polls. After Miami comes Virginia Tech (82), who just beat Clemson.
By the way, rival South Carolina has 85 staffers. The Gamecocks, of course, have beaten top 15 opponents in each of its last two games.
How does Clemson compare to other football programs in the ACC? Let’s just say Wake Forest and SMU have way smaller staffs, yet they are sitting in a tie for second place in the league’s standing and it’s likely the winner of their Nov. 14 matchup in Dallas will play Miami in the ACC Championship Game in December.
Number of people on ACC Coaching Staffs
- Clemson 90
- Miami 84
- Virginia Tech 82
- Georgia Tech 69
- California 66
- FSU 66
- SMU 65
- North Carolina 63
- Syracuse 63
- Wake Forest 58
- Stanford 57
- NC State 56
- Pittsburgh 55
- Boston College 53
- Virginia 51
- Duke 49
- Louisville 41
Note: South Carolina 85