Dabo Swinney, Clemson Agree on New Contract: Latest Comments and Reaction

Clemson and head football coach Dabo Swinney reached an agreement Tuesday on a six-year contract extension that links him to the school through 2021.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press passed along word of the deal from the school. Dal Kalsi of Fox Carolina noted the new deal includes a base salary of $4.5 million for the 2016 season, which will rise to $5.6 million by 2021, and also features performance-based incentives for ACC and College Football Playoff success.

The long-term extension comes after one of the best seasons in program history. The Tigers reached the national championship game with a 14-0 record, including a blowout victory over Oklahoma in the CFP semifinals, before falling to Alabama 45-40 in a thrilling title clash.

Swinney joined the Clemson program in 2003. He filled various roles, including recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach, before taking over as interim head coach following the resignation of Tommy Bowden midway through the 2008 campaign.

He's proceeded to turn the Tigers into a national powerhouse. They have finished the season in the Top 15 of the AP Poll in four straight seasons. The last time they had reached that level before his arrival was all the way back in 1990.

After the season, Tony Crumpton of TigerNet.com noted Swinney felt the program is in position to maintain that high standard of success for the foreseeable future:

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But there's no doubt that we will be back [in the title game]. It won't be 34 years before we're going to be back, I promise you that.

Our team is built to sustain success. We've got the right ingredients from a toughness standpoint, talent standpoint, and then just, again, the will to win and the culture that we have in our program.

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That will be the expectation because he's now being paid like a top-tier coach. Based on the most recent figures from USA Today, his $4.5 million salary would move him into the top 10 without taking into account potential bonuses. He ranked 26th on the list for 2015.

Along with the on-field success, he's also putting players in position to succeed as they make the transition to the NFL level. DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins, Vic Beasley and Stephone Anthony have all been drafted in the first round over the past three years.

All told, locking Swinney up with a long-term deal was a no-brainer given the program's rise and now its all-around success with him leading the charge.