As the regular season draws to a close, it seems the current head coaches that are off limits for interviews during the regular season are now surfacing for open positions across the country.
Case in point: Troy Calhoun is emerging as a candidate for the Clemson post according to TigerIllustrated.com.
At first blush, most would wonder about an Air Force Academy graduate and current head coach being a fit for Clemson—until you check his resume and do some more digging.
Granted, only coordinators have been reported to be interviewed at this point. But Coach Calhoun's resume dwarfs any of those known to have interviewed for the Clemson job.
He has experience in the region as offensive coordinator with Wake Forest and has both assistant and coordinator experience in the NFL. Subsequently, he oversaw a two-year reclamation project with his alma mater that was withering quickly under Fisher Deberry: a project that has yielded him a Coach of the Year Award, a 9-4 record in 2007, and his current 8-3 record.
He has done more with less everywhere he has been.
That includes Ohio, Wake Forest, the Houston Texans, and now Air Force. It begs the question, what could this man do with good (if not great) talent?
Keep in mind, Tommy Bowden's two best recruiting classes were his last two—not the James Davis or CJ Spiller classes.
But does two years with Wake Forest create a tie in terms of recruiting?
As also reported by TigerIllustrated.com, nearly all of his current assistants at Air Force have ties to the Southeast. Two graduated and coached at Furman, two are from South Carolina, one is a Charlotte native, and one is from Atlanta.
Billy Napier is currently on the Clemson staff and, while young, he has built a reputation as one of the best young recruiters in the country.
Clay Hendrix, who is the current offensive line coach under Calhoun, coached for 19 years at Furman, during which time he recruited Napier (TigerIllustrated).
It is conjecture at this point, as all of the coaching vacancies are. But if Calhoun has any interest in seeking another opportunity, is there a better fit for either party?
It doesn't seem so.
3 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
Jeremy 7 months ago
Calhoun is a great coach, but the Clemson faithful feel they deserve a big name coach.
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Trey Murphy 7 months ago
I'm a student here at Clemson and just like the rest of the Clemson faithful, I am anxiously awaiting an announcement on who will become the permanent head coach here. As much as I would love a big name coach pacing the sidelines, it might be more realistic to look past who HAS a big name, and look into someone who will MAKE a big name here.
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Pete Peters 7 months ago
Why do our fans think we deserve a big name coach? I'll be the first to admit Clemson may be a good job with a solid fan base and good young talent. However, the last NC was 1981! The last conference title was 1991! The problem with our fans is we overrate their program. Live in the now and not in 1981. Clemson doesn't warrant a BIG NAME coach.
Calhoun would be a great hire and is exactly what our lackadaisical football program needs.
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