Wednesday Update
By: Larry Williams & Paul Strelow
Tuesday evening, our ESPN pal Chris Low sniffed out the story we had brought to our subscribers to start the day:
Senior defensive assistant Wes Goodwin is in line to replace Brent Venabes in a coordinator/co-coordinator role on defense (that co-coordinator being safeties coach Mickey Conn, according to our sources).
Venables was arguably the top assistant in the country with a salary of more than $2.5 million. Goodwin is a behind-the-scenes staffer making $108,000 a year who would not be recognized by 75,000 fans in Death Valley on a Saturday.
Yes, a lot to unpack here!
Clarity on this will come with an announcement from Dabo Swinney as early as Friday, we are told. But all signs point to this not being just a temporary promotion for Goodwin that ends after the bowl game.
This has all the looks of Venables hoping to take Goodwin to Oklahoma, and Swinney not letting it happen because he considers Goodwin that valuable.
Clemson senior defensive assistant Wesley Goodwin. (Wil Langston - Clemson Athletics)
We're not saying there shouldn't be any questions or skepticism over such a move. But context is important, and in this case Goodwin's promotion is viewed by many insiders past and present as a much-deserved, time-is-right development.
It's natural, and reasonable, to wonder about his credentials given that he hasn't yet been an on-field coach. Given Venables' reputation as an absolute animal on the recruiting trail, it's also fair to wonder how that part might be replicated or even approached.
But the fact that he hasn't been a full-time coach doesn't mean he hasn't had opportunities to be one. We're told Terry Bowden wanted him as his defensive coordinator last year when Bowden left Clemson for Louisiana-Monroe, and Goodwin declined. We're told that's not the only opportunity he's turned down, in large part because he loves it where he is (that sounds familiar).
That position at Louisiana-Monroe, by the way, was filled by Clemson grad and Venables disciple Zac Alley. There's a strong belief in the coaching community that Alley is a fast riser, and it wouldn't surprise us if he ended up with his old boss at Oklahoma after working under him for seven years at Clemson from 2012 to 2018. If he doesn't land there he'll probably end up somewhere bigger soon.
"I hope I don't lose Zac right now, but he has choices," Bowden recently told a radio station in Monroe.
Had Venables managed to pry Goodwin from Clemson, you wonder whether one of Swinney's first calls would've gone to Alley. After Alley left Clemson he was briefly at Charlotte before getting a call from Boise State, where he spent two years under Bryan Harsin.
When Bowden hired him to go to Louisiana-Monroe, the 27-year-old Alley was the youngest defensive coordinator in the FBS.
If you were to ask Venables to name his two foremost proteges, he'd probably say Goodwin and Alley. They were that good under him. -- LARRY WILLIAMS
One recruiting question to evaluate is a timely one in light of one development yesterday.
Oklahoma offered Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons defensive tackle Ahmad Moten, a late-rising prospect we brought to light last month as someone Clemson was quickly gaining interest in.
As casualty to the coaching change, the Sooners just lost Lakeland (Fla.) four-star defensive tackle Gabe Dindy to a Texas A&M flip on Monday.
Venables is going to have plenty of scholarships so play with amid the standard roster turnover that comes with staff change. So when in need, it's logical he went straight to the uncommitted candidate he knew.
While we don't believe he would actively pursue a Clemson commitment out of respect to Dabo Swinney, uncommitted prospects are definitely fair game.
So it's interesting to consider whether Oklahoma's aggressive and immediate offer is a shot at moving in front of Clemson in the queue ... knowing your opponent and using its strategy against them.
In all likelihood, there's more than meets the eye in that. On its own merits, Oklahoma might just want to get a foot in the door as soon as possible in order to make a statement. Moten is going on an official visit to Iowa State, and with the early signing period coming next week, nothing can be taken for granted.
But Moten does intend to carry his recruitment into next month and sign in February.
From a business perspective, that's the wise move.
Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) defensive tackle Ahmad Moten.
Demand will far exceed supply at his position, and here's again predicting his stock to balloon.
Two of the state's three flagships now have new coaches in Florida's Billy Napier and Miami's Mario Cristobal, and this late, both will see value in accruing worthwhile in-state pieces. Moreover, transfer attrition will leave plenty of schools with available scholarships to play with, likely adding to the pool of suitors.
We will now tell you that defensive tackles coach Todd Bates attended Moten's playoff game last Friday.
Bates was supposed to be accompanied by Venables, the area recruiter. But Venables did not go, foreshadowing the whirlwind weekend that culminated with Oklahoma flying in for pick-up Sunday.
You'd like Clemson's chances with Moten next month a little better if the Tigers still had the pair working together, based on track record.
Swinney hasn't shown to take recruiting experience into consideration with most of his more recent staff hires -- instead prioritizing good people who may well grow into recruiters with translatable skills, but whose traits foremost foster the desired culture that might enable Clemson to sell itself.
We'll see how doubling down on that formula works out soon enough. -- PAUL STRELOW
From THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Happy Holidays! More marked down officially-licensed Clemson apparel and gear! Visit The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
By: Larry Williams & Paul Strelow
Tuesday evening, our ESPN pal Chris Low sniffed out the story we had brought to our subscribers to start the day:
Senior defensive assistant Wes Goodwin is in line to replace Brent Venabes in a coordinator/co-coordinator role on defense (that co-coordinator being safeties coach Mickey Conn, according to our sources).
Venables was arguably the top assistant in the country with a salary of more than $2.5 million. Goodwin is a behind-the-scenes staffer making $108,000 a year who would not be recognized by 75,000 fans in Death Valley on a Saturday.
Yes, a lot to unpack here!
Clarity on this will come with an announcement from Dabo Swinney as early as Friday, we are told. But all signs point to this not being just a temporary promotion for Goodwin that ends after the bowl game.
This has all the looks of Venables hoping to take Goodwin to Oklahoma, and Swinney not letting it happen because he considers Goodwin that valuable.
Clemson senior defensive assistant Wesley Goodwin. (Wil Langston - Clemson Athletics)
We're not saying there shouldn't be any questions or skepticism over such a move. But context is important, and in this case Goodwin's promotion is viewed by many insiders past and present as a much-deserved, time-is-right development.
It's natural, and reasonable, to wonder about his credentials given that he hasn't yet been an on-field coach. Given Venables' reputation as an absolute animal on the recruiting trail, it's also fair to wonder how that part might be replicated or even approached.
But the fact that he hasn't been a full-time coach doesn't mean he hasn't had opportunities to be one. We're told Terry Bowden wanted him as his defensive coordinator last year when Bowden left Clemson for Louisiana-Monroe, and Goodwin declined. We're told that's not the only opportunity he's turned down, in large part because he loves it where he is (that sounds familiar).
That position at Louisiana-Monroe, by the way, was filled by Clemson grad and Venables disciple Zac Alley. There's a strong belief in the coaching community that Alley is a fast riser, and it wouldn't surprise us if he ended up with his old boss at Oklahoma after working under him for seven years at Clemson from 2012 to 2018. If he doesn't land there he'll probably end up somewhere bigger soon.
"I hope I don't lose Zac right now, but he has choices," Bowden recently told a radio station in Monroe.
Had Venables managed to pry Goodwin from Clemson, you wonder whether one of Swinney's first calls would've gone to Alley. After Alley left Clemson he was briefly at Charlotte before getting a call from Boise State, where he spent two years under Bryan Harsin.
When Bowden hired him to go to Louisiana-Monroe, the 27-year-old Alley was the youngest defensive coordinator in the FBS.
If you were to ask Venables to name his two foremost proteges, he'd probably say Goodwin and Alley. They were that good under him. -- LARRY WILLIAMS
One recruiting question to evaluate is a timely one in light of one development yesterday.
Oklahoma offered Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons defensive tackle Ahmad Moten, a late-rising prospect we brought to light last month as someone Clemson was quickly gaining interest in.
As casualty to the coaching change, the Sooners just lost Lakeland (Fla.) four-star defensive tackle Gabe Dindy to a Texas A&M flip on Monday.
Venables is going to have plenty of scholarships so play with amid the standard roster turnover that comes with staff change. So when in need, it's logical he went straight to the uncommitted candidate he knew.
While we don't believe he would actively pursue a Clemson commitment out of respect to Dabo Swinney, uncommitted prospects are definitely fair game.
So it's interesting to consider whether Oklahoma's aggressive and immediate offer is a shot at moving in front of Clemson in the queue ... knowing your opponent and using its strategy against them.
In all likelihood, there's more than meets the eye in that. On its own merits, Oklahoma might just want to get a foot in the door as soon as possible in order to make a statement. Moten is going on an official visit to Iowa State, and with the early signing period coming next week, nothing can be taken for granted.
But Moten does intend to carry his recruitment into next month and sign in February.
From a business perspective, that's the wise move.
Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) defensive tackle Ahmad Moten.
Demand will far exceed supply at his position, and here's again predicting his stock to balloon.
Two of the state's three flagships now have new coaches in Florida's Billy Napier and Miami's Mario Cristobal, and this late, both will see value in accruing worthwhile in-state pieces. Moreover, transfer attrition will leave plenty of schools with available scholarships to play with, likely adding to the pool of suitors.
We will now tell you that defensive tackles coach Todd Bates attended Moten's playoff game last Friday.
Bates was supposed to be accompanied by Venables, the area recruiter. But Venables did not go, foreshadowing the whirlwind weekend that culminated with Oklahoma flying in for pick-up Sunday.
You'd like Clemson's chances with Moten next month a little better if the Tigers still had the pair working together, based on track record.
Swinney hasn't shown to take recruiting experience into consideration with most of his more recent staff hires -- instead prioritizing good people who may well grow into recruiters with translatable skills, but whose traits foremost foster the desired culture that might enable Clemson to sell itself.
We'll see how doubling down on that formula works out soon enough. -- PAUL STRELOW
From THE TIGER FAN SHOP: Happy Holidays! More marked down officially-licensed Clemson apparel and gear! Visit The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
