Coaching Staff
Even after former offensive coordinator Chad Morris left to become the head coach at SMU following the 2014 season, the Clemson Tigers still boast one of the more stable coaching staffs in all of college football. Dabo Swinney and his nine assistants from last year’s squad are all returning for another season in Death Valley.
Seven of those assistants have spent at least the past five seasons at Clemson. Only defensive backs coach Mike Reed (entering his fourth year at the school) and QB coach Brandon Streeter (second year) have been with the Tigers for less than five years.
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The top assistant on the staff is defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Brent Venables. Venables is entering his fifth season with the Tigers and has consistently led one of the best defensive units in the nation. He’s helped Clemson produce 11 draft picks on the defensive side of the ball over the past two seasons, including three in the first round. Although only four starters return in 2016, don’t expect a big drop-off. There’s still plenty of talent for Venables to work with.
On offense, Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott will once again team up to lead Deshaun Watson and company. In their first season taking over for Morris, Scott and Elliott led the number one total offense in the ACC. Clemson averaged over 514 yards per game last season and are poised to be even better this year as eight starters, plus the returning Mike Williams, are back.
Besides Venables, all of the assistants are entering the final year of their current two-year contracts. While the majority likely aren’t going anywhere, it will be interesting to see which assistants receive better offers or promotions elsewhere after the season.
Next: Roster: Who's In, Who's Out