The financial report cards are here, following the 2025 season. For ACC giants Clemson, the books show a $900,000 cushion. However, if we dig deeper, it reads more like a financial hit than a win for the university.

“Per Clemson athletics’ financial report for the 2025 fiscal year (July 2024-June 2025), the department reported about $198.6 in revenues,” reported Clemson insider Jon Blau. “Up from $193.9 million in ’24 fiscal year. Expenses did increase, though, from about $182 million in 2024 to $197.7 million in 2025.”

The program’s revenue grew by $4.7 million year over year, rising from $193.9 million to $198.6 million. That bump shows the program is still humming. Factors such as football revenue, media distribution, donor support, and ticket sales play a huge role.

This is just one part of the story. According to the financial reports, Clemson couldn’t tighten its grip on expenses. The university’s spending surged from roughly $182 million in 2024 to $197.7 million in 2025. The math shows that the surplus has been reduced to nearly a million. 

The college sports landscape has become competitive. To keep one’s head above water, a program has to hire with higher coaching salaries, which often drains revenues. Then there is the lack of infrastructure and modern amenities to keep up with the competition, which further exacerbates the imbalance. 

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Clemson’s FY2024 revenue decreased from $195.9 million in FY2023, but spending rose past $174.2 million. Although Clemson showed a $12 million surplus, nearly $13 million for capital projects and upgrades, including lacrosse and gymnastics, was omitted from the NCAA report.

While the university is now left with a rough figure of only $900,000 this fiscal year, Blau highlighted the psyche of the athletic departments among college programs. 

“College athletic departments always effort to have a budget that’s even as far as expenses as revenues,” wrote the analyst. “That’s not anything out of the ordinary. They don’t run like a business that way.”

So, the athletic department’s goal is not to stockpile cash. Unlike businesses that try to cut costs and focus on maximizing profit, they reinvest everything back into the program. That’s what Swinney has done with an eight-figure splurge.

How Dabo Swinney is dealing with the eight-figure bill

Clemson’s eight-figure splurge is the $26 million annual commitment tied to the House settlement. The biggest chunk is $20.5 million earmarked for direct revenue sharing with athletes. Additionally, the program is adding roughly $6 million in new scholarship costs as roster limits expand.

Moreover, the House settlement may cost an eight-figure sum, but Clemson feels it’s workable. According to its Athletic Director, Graham Neff, Clemson expects total athletics revenue to jump by roughly $40 million year over year. It will push the Tigers well beyond the $200 million mark after posting a staggering $193.9 million in FY2024.

That revenue bump is meant to absorb extra costs. Swinney isn’t squeezing coach salaries, despite a terrible season. Swinney isn’t squeezing coach salaries, despite a terrible season, but the increases are limited to three coaches. The heat just got turned up on Dabo Swinney. He must rewrite the 7-6 story and help Clemson recover both competitively and financially in 2026.