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Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney has decided to move on from defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin following the 2024 football season.
Goodwin had been the Tiger’s defensive coordinator for the last three seasons – following Brent Venables departure to become the head coach for Oklahoma in 2021.
According to multiple reports, Swinney was forced to make the change after Clemson’s defense ranked ninth in the ACC and No. 69 nationally in total defense last season – allowing 374.1 yards per game. Its scoring defense was marginally better – ranking sixth in the conference and tied for No. 53 nationally after surrendering 23.4 points per game.
Still, those numbers were not up to Clemson standards…
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This was decisively Clemson's worst defense in the past decade. pic.twitter.com/yhJps1Mm41
— Ryan Kantor (@ryan_kantor) December 23, 2024
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Goodwin received a $550,000 raise after the 2023 season – his best year as defensive coordinator – increasing his annual compensation from $850,000 to $1.4 million. That made him the second-highest paid coach on Swinney’s staff behind offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, who made $1.75 million annually.
During his decade at Clemson, Venables’ defenses ranked first nationally in sacks (445) and opponents’ third down conversion (30.2%), second in opponents’ pass efficiency rating (111.1) and takeaways (244), third in scoring defense (17.8 points per game) and opponents’ completion percentage (53.3%), fourth in total defense (311.4 yards per game) and pass defense (190.5 yards per game), fifth in interceptions (148) and sixth in rushing defense (120.9 yards per game).
Unable to consistently match those numbers, Goodwin’s tenure was cut short after his defense allowed 4.7 yards per carry and 160.7 rushing yards per game – marking the program’s worst run defense since 1975, according to Clemson Insider. The final straw? Last month’s College Football Playoff (CFP) quarterfinals loss to Texas, in which Clemson was shredded for 292 rushing yards.
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As Goodwin departs – amid rumors he may wind up on Venables’ staff at Oklahoma, incidentally – Swinney reportedly already has a frontrunner coordinator in mind, Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks.
Banks had an impressive 2023 season with the Volunteers – as their defense ranked No. 32 nationally in total defense, No. 22 in scoring defense and tied for first nationally in defensive touchdowns. Tennessee also finished fourth nationally in tackles for loss.
Hiring Banks would mark Swinney’s second major coordinator hire in three years, following the addition of Riley ahead of the 2023 season.
As of now, Clemson fans await an official announcement from Swinney about the next defensive coordinator. Count on FITSNews to share any updates or announcements on that front.
As our founding editor noted in reporting on quarterback Cade Klubnik‘s return to campus, Clemson returns a ton of talent on offense – and Swinney has (for the first time) begun to leverage the transfer portal to fill holes and add depth at critical positions. The Tigers open their 2025 season on August 30 at home against LSU – a rematch of the national championship game which concluded the 2019 season.
BANNER: Travis Bell Columbia SC Photographers
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from J. L. Mann High School in 2021. She is currently a senior at the University of South Carolina majoring in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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