Clemson Make Official Decision On Defensive Coordinator Wes Goodwin
01/04/2025 11:06 PM
The Clemson Tigers may have had a bounce back season in '24 but that doesn't mean that head coach Dabo Swinney won't be making some changes to his staff.
According to Pete Nakos of On3.com, defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin will not be retained at his current position but could possibly return to the program as an analyst.
Clemson has reportedly been putting together its next steps throughout the week and is hoping to have more clarity on where Goodwin stands in the near future.
Goodwin took over as the Tigers' DC following Brent Venables departure for Oklahoma back in 2022. Since being handed the keys though, the school's defense has enjoyed varying degrees of success.
Goodwin kept Clemson's that side of the ball afloat in the '23 campaign and was even nominated for the Broyles Award as nation's top assistant. But the Tigers' D took a major step back this past season.
Those struggles ultimately did the program in, in their first-round Playoff matchup vs. Texas where Clemson gave up a season-high 292 rushing yards and four rushing scores.
Dabo and the school rewarded Goodwin with a decent pay raise for his efforts back in February, lifting his yearly base salary to $1.4 million and placing him in the top 30 for compensation among assistants.
Some have already linked the 40-year-old coordinator to the OU job under his former mentor Venables.
If that were to happen and he takes a new job instead of getting fired, per the Greenville News, Goodwin would owe Clemson 25% of his remaining salary — although the university "has the discretion to waive that."
Related: Alabama Fires Coordinator Just Days After Bowl Loss To Michigan
