Clemson’s 2026 matchup with Charleston Southern comes with a clear price tag.
The Buccaneers will receive $450,000 for the game, according to the contract obtained by The Greenville News through a public records request. The payment is due no later than Feb. 15, 2027.
Clemson is set to host Charleston Southern in Week 7 on Oct. 17 at noon on ACC Network. It will be the third of four non-conference games on the Tigers’ schedule this season, and it will mark just the second meeting between the programs. Clemson won the first one, rolling to a 66-17 victory in 2023.
The Tigers have never dropped a game to an FCS opponent and are 40-0 against that level. Their narrowest escape came in a 35-27 win over Wofford in 2011.
The arrangement for Charleston Southern was first struck in July 2017, when former Clemson athletics director Dan Radakovich set the teams to meet on Nov. 7. The date was later shifted to Oct. 17 in April 2022 under current athletic director Graham Neff.
Along with the payout, Charleston Southern will get a package of game access and travel support: a minimum of 60 team bench area passes, 16 all-access passes, eight coaches’ booth passes, six video passes, and parking passes for one equipment truck, four buses and six automobiles. The Buccaneers will also receive 500 complimentary tickets.
Clemson’s non-conference future is already lined up well beyond this season. The Tigers are scheduled to play Georgia State and Wofford at home in 2027, then Troy and The Citadel at home in 2028, and Furman at home in 2029.
Notre Dame and South Carolina remain annual opponents in that stretch as well. Clemson will host Notre Dame and visit Columbia in 2027, then travel to South Bend and host South Carolina in 2028. The Tigers are set to play both programs from 2027 through at least 2037.
East Carolina is also on the books for a home game in 2034.
One previously scheduled series has fallen off the docket. Clemson and Georgia had been set for four games in 2029, 2030, 2032 and 2033, with home dates in 2029 and 2033, but the Athens Banner-Herald reported on Sept. 21 that the schools “mutually agreed to cancel” all four matchups. Whether those games will return at a neutral site - or whether another opponent will take Georgia’s place - is not known.
The Tigers still have Oklahoma scheduled for a home game in 2035 and a trip to Norman in 2036.
In Other News...
Clemson Players Think This Shutout Could Mean More Than One Win
A 37-0 win over Charleston Southern gave Clemson its first shutout of the season, and for a team still trying to sharpen its identity, the manner of victory mattered as much as the margin. At Memorial Stadium, the Tigers handled business the way a favorite should, then spent the postgame talking less about the opponent and more about what the performance said about where they are headed.
Several Clemson players met with the media afterward to break down their own outings, note personal milestones and look ahead to what the group can build from here. A shutout against an overmatched opponent does not answer every question, but it can reinforce the kind of discipline and cohesion this team wants to carry forward, and the next stretch will show whether it was just a clean Saturday or something more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Finally Got The Reset Win Fans Have Been Waiting For
After a rough stretch, Clemson finally got the kind of clean reset game it had been looking for, rolling past Charleston Southern 37-0 at Memorial Stadium in a noon kickoff. The Tigers were sharp from the start, putting up 34 first-half points and delivering their biggest win and highest point total of the season in the process.
The tone was set early with three rushing touchdowns and a special teams score off a forced fumble recovery, the sort of all-around effort a team wants when it needs to settle things down. Backup quarterback Trent Pearman handled the second half, and kicker Nolan Hauser added another bright spot with a career-long 59-yard field goal, giving Clemson plenty to build on as the schedule turns back to stiffer competition. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Is About To Test A Young QBs Confidence
Charleston Southern heads into a noon matchup with Clemson carrying a young quarterback who just took a meaningful step forward. Jared Echols made his first career start in the previous game and handled it well, completing 17 of 29 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns. Coach Gabe Giardina praised the way Echols stayed composed, and that kind of calm is going to matter against a Clemson defense that will ask plenty of questions right away.
Echols has already said he feels ready for the challenge, which is exactly the mindset Charleston Southern needs as it walks into a far tougher stage. A game like this can speed up a quarterbacks development in a hurry, but it can also test confidence early if the pocket closes and the field gets tighter. For Clemson, it is another chance to pressure an inexperienced starter, while for Echols it is a shot to show that the poise he displayed last week can travel into a much bigger spotlight. [Read more 🡒]