Clemson University Board of Trustees Compensation Committee will meet Wednesday afternoon in Clemson to approve several actions, including extending the contract of defensive coordinator Brent Venables.
The Compensation Committee will also discuss and approve contracts for softball coach John Rittman and head women’s basketball coach Amanda Butler.
The Clemson Insider has learned Venables’ contract has been reworked a little bit, though those details are not disclosed at this time. We can tell you Clemson will extend Venables contract back to five years.
Venables originally signed a five-year deal back in July of 2018 that gave him the largest contract of any assistant coach in college football at the time. The deal was worth $11.6 million dollars, including incentives and retention bonus.
The deal has been extended back to five years a couple of times since then, as it is expected to be on Wednesday.
With Kevin Steele not coaching football this year, Steve Sarkisian now the head coach at Texas and Bo Pelini no longer at LSU, Venables annual salary will likely be the largest in college football. The Clemson defensive coordinator made $2.16 million last year, which ranked fourth in the country according to USA TODAY Sports. He did have a voluntary reduction of $240,000 in 2020, which was related to COVID-19.
Since Venables took over in 2012, Clemson has produced one of the top defenses in the country every year. Last year, the Tigers tied for first nationally in sacks with 46 and were second in tackles for loss with 109.
In 2020, Clemson led the ACC in total defense, tied for first in interceptions and ranked second in scoring defense, rushing defense and passing defense.
In February, the Compensation Committee approved a raise for offensive coordinator Tony Elliott. His annual salary went from $1.7 million to $2 million, making him the third highest paid assistant coach in college football, behind Venables’ $2.4 million and Texas A&M’s Mike Elko ($2.1 million).
The board approved a three-year extension for Elliott which will run through January 31, 2026. Elliott’s raise was effective on July 1. His $125,000 retention and incentive bonus will be effective on Aug. 1.
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