Clemson coach Dabo Swinney believes that the more college football players are paid, the greater responsibility they should carry.
“I mean, you can’t have it both ways,” Swinney said this week, according to *The Post and Courier*. “It’s more than just a scholarship. Revenue-share is based on performance, right? These aren’t lifetime contracts. It’s no different than the next level. You’ve got to perform.”
Swinney’s comments come as he faces pressure from the Tigers’ 1-2 start this season. This is the first year athletic departments are sharing revenue with players, with a cap of up to $20.5 million per school over the school year. Athletes remain able to secure third-party name, image, and likeness (NIL) agreements alongside school revenue shares.
Most of Clemson’s direct revenue sharing is going to football, as is the case for most top programs. Quarterback Cade Klubnik, reportedly being paid $2.5 million, has struggled through three games with three touchdown throws and three interceptions. Defensive linemen Peter Woods and T.J. Parker, reportedly earning seven-figure sums, have had mixed performances. Swinney described Woods as solid, but said Parker has been “good but not great.”
Klubnik addressed the pressure regarding his pay and performance, stating, “I didn’t grow up dreaming to play college football to go make money. I grew up dreaming of playing college football and run out into a stadium with 100,000 fans. It’s not necessarily something that I asked for; it’s just kind of something that’s happened. So I don’t feel like I should be held responsible for that, I guess.”
Swinney acknowledged that the influx of money might affect some players’ performances. “I don’t think guys get too full of themselves,” he said. “I just think sometimes the expectations can become the focus as opposed to just the process. These are young people. So, yeah, for this particular group, they have never dealt with that.”
Elsewhere in college football, Arkansas faces similar challenges related to revenue sharing. Athletic director Hunter Yurachek admitted that his program doesn’t have the financial resources to compete for a national title but believes there is enough funding to be competitive within the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
“I don’t think there’s been any question that in the NIL era, we didn’t have the same amount of money, nor close to the same amount of money as a lot of teams that we’re competing against,” Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman said.
Pittman noted that the playing field remains unbalanced for now because some teams “pushed their money forward” by front-loading deals ahead of July 1, when new regulations took effect. He expressed hope that revenue sharing will help level the competition in the future.
Despite the financial pressures, Klubnik remains focused on his passion for the game. “We’ve just got to continue to love the game, man,” he said. “Just find joy in the game … go play free and make it fun.”
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