Swinney wants Clemson to expand its office for managing athlete contracts

Dabo Swinney said Tuesday that Clemson should expand the central office that helps manage athlete contracts and roster spending across all sports.

When Swinney took over Clemson’s football program in 2008, he recalls having nine coaches, two assistants and one operations staffer. Asked what has changed most since then, he pointed to how many people it takes to run a program. With players now signing contracts and working with agents, he sees another part of Clemson’s operation that needs more help.

“I mean, right now everything kind of goes to Amanda,” Swinney said of Amanda Richardson, Clemson’s associate athletic director for compliance. “We got like a one-person central office.”

Richardson helps the athletic department navigate rules on revenue sharing, third-party name, image and likeness deals, and roster limits. Swinney said the work of reviewing contracts, dealing with agents and tracking market trends spans every sport.

“She does a great job, but she’s one person,” Swinney said.

Swinney also pointed to a lack of reliable information about what athletes are being paid, which makes it harder for schools to gauge the market.

“If I could say one thing I wish we could change, I would say we need transparency,” Swinney said.

Asked who would have the final say on Clemson’s football roster if the office expanded, Swinney said those decisions would stay with him and his staff.

“No, I’m going to make the roster decisions as the head coach,” he said.

Swinney credited Kevin Kelly with organizing Clemson’s football personnel operation and said that group could use more help, too. He pointed to recruiting as a reason for keeping roster decisions with the coaches, who have to persuade players to come to Clemson and show them where they fit.

“You can’t just draft them,” Swinney said. “You got to recruit them.”

That work is already on Swinney’s mind. He said most of Clemson’s starters have eligibility remaining, giving the Tigers a chance to keep much of their lineup together.

Between now and January, his staff will work to keep those players and identify the gaps it needs to fill.

Managing the contracts that come with keeping players and bringing in new ones is part of the workload Swinney wants Clemson to staff up for across the athletic department.