Clemson football paying big money to two new coaches. Here are the details
The Clemson football team has officially filled two open assistant coaching positions — and they’re paying big money to bring on big names for the roles.
The university’s board of trustees compensation committee formally approved contracts Monday for new offensive line coach Matt Luke and defensive ends coach Chris Rumph following a presentation by athletic director Graham Neff.
Luke, who most recently worked as Georgia’s offensive line coach, will make $975,000 next year as part of a three-year, $3.275 million deal. Rumph, who most recently worked as the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive line coach, will make $950,000 for 2024-25 in a three-year deal worth $3.05 million.
Both coaches’ salaries will top $1 million in 2025-26, which will put them among the top 10 highest paid coaches for their respective position groups, according to FootballScoop.com, and keep Clemson in the same range for assistant coach total pay. The Tigers previously ranked No. 9 in that metric, per a USA Today database.
Coach Dabo Swinney announced last week he’d parted ways with two assistant coaches, offensive line coach Thomas Austin and defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall. Austin was making $450,000 this year, and Hall was making $625,000.
The hirings of Luke and Rumph bring the Tigers back up to 10 full-time assistant coaches heading into the Dec. 20-22 early signing period and their bowl game, a Dec. 29 meeting with Kentucky in the Gator Bowl that was announced Sunday.
They also mark another round of external hires from Swinney, who’s drawn criticism in the past for promoting from within to mixed results. Swinney’s last four hires have all been external: defensive tackles coach Nick Eason (Auburn), offensive coordinator Garrett Riley (TCU), Luke and Rumph.
Luke, 47, most recently worked as the assistant head coach and offensive line coach at Georgia and was part of the Bulldogs’ 2021 national championship team. During Luke’s two seasons in Athens, offensive linemen he coached picked up three All-SEC honors and four were drafted into the NFL.
A former starting offensive lineman at Ole Miss, Luke also spent eight seasons at his alma mater, including three as Ole Miss head coach from 2017-19. He was 15-21 in that role and helped develop offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, a three-time-All SEC honoree and the No. 13 overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.
“Though I’ve never worked with Matt, I’ve known him for a good while and have a lot of mutual friends,” Swinney said in a statement. “He is exactly what we needed with his hire. He brings an incredible résumé and a wealth of experience and has worked with a bunch of great coaches and players over his career. He is very familiar with our footprint in recruiting. I have no doubt he will be a great addition.”
Luke, who stepped away from his job at Georgia in 2022 to spend more time with his family while citing burnout from the profession, has also spent time at Tennessee and Duke in his 20-plus years of offensive line coaching.
“I have always had tremendous admiration for Dabo as a man, as a coach and as a leader, and I am excited for the opportunity to help him win another national championship at Clemson,” Luke said in a statement, adding that “this was simply too good of an opportunity to pass up” for him and his family.
Rumph, 51, returns to Clemson after working as the Tigers’ defensive line coach from 2006-10 and overlapping with Swinney in his capacity as both a position coach and head coach. Rumph spent the last four years in the NFL, most recently with the Vikings, and has also coached at Alabama, Texas, Florida and Tennessee.
Rumph was part of the Crimson Tide’s 2011 and 2012 national championship teams and helped produce six NFL Draft picks along the defensive line. And at Florida, five of his Gator defensive linemen became NFL Draft picks.
Rumph is a native of St. Matthews, South Carolina and former linebacker at USC. His son, Chris Rumph II, is currently a linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers.
“For me, this is coming home,” Rumph said in a statement. “Clemson is a great fit for me and my family in terms of the town and the quality of the people. ... I am excited to do my part to return the program where it aspires to be and once again have Clemson in the College Football Playoff and competing for national championships year in and year out.”
“Chris really fits what I was looking for in this hire,” added Swinney. “I wanted someone with NFL experience — and he certainly brings that — and I was looking for the right recruiting fit as someone who grew up in this state and played in this state. We’ve had a great relationship for a long time now and, honestly, he was a guy that almost came back a couple of other times over the years, but this is the right time and I’m excited to welcome him and (his wife) Kila back and him continuing the great tradition we’ve had with our defensive ends.”
Matt Luke contract details
Luke’s contract term starts “following Board approval and background check clearance” and runs through Jan. 31, 2027. Here’s his annual total compensation:
- 2024-25: $975,000
- 2025-26: $1.1 million
- 2026-27: $1.2 million
Luke’s contract includes the regular bonus structure for Clemson assistants: $10,000 for an ACC championship game appearance and another postseason bonus ranging from $20,000 (eight or more regular season wins and a bowl game) to $85,000 (national championship win) depending on results.
Chris Rumph contract details
The start of Rumph’s term is “to be determined,” and it’ll run through Jan. 31, 2027. Here’s his annual total compensation:
- 2024-25: $950,000
- 2025-26: $1 million
- 2026-27: $1.1 million
Rumph’s contract lays out the same bonus structure as seen in Luke’s contract.
This story was originally published December 4, 2023 at 9:32 AM with the headline "Clemson football paying big money to two new coaches. Here are the details."
