Clemson football bringing in a Tiger legend was the easy choice
Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney announced earlier this week that Tiger legend C.J. Spiller would be joining the staff as an unpaid grad assistant.
Spiller, who was named the ACC Player of the Year in 2009, headlined the Class of 2020 Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame inductions. Swinney told the media that Spiller is set to begin taking classing towards his Masters in Athletic Leadership and reached out to him about wanting to get involved in coaching.
Having Spiller on staff as a graduate assistant is the best of both worlds for Clemson football and beyond, and it’s going to make an impact on those running backs who are currently on the roster, especially Travis Etienne.
Etienne is just a few months away from heading off to the NFL Draft and having Spiller come alongside him this year is going to be an absolute asset for him. Spiller played eight seasons in the NFL and knows what it takes to get to that next level. He knows the ins-and-outs of what Etienne can expect when he goes to the league and can help him begin navigating his game and much more as a result.
There are broader implications here with Clemson football, as well
There’s no doubt that Spiller can make an immediate impact by sharing his knowledge with the current running back room, but just like Tyler Grisham- it almost seems like ‘destiny’ that Spiller will some day become the next RB Coach for Clemson football.
This isn’t to say that Tony Elliott is going anywhere anytime soon, but there’s always that possibility that Elliott elects to leave for a Head Coaching job. There’s also a chance that Elliott could simply become a full-time Offensive Coordinator and give up coaching the Running Backs as he turns more attention to the offensive in general.
Whatever the case may be, it does seem that Clemson has found its next Running Backs Coach in C.J. Spiller.
It won’t happen in the immediate future, but look for Spiller to continue to climb the ladder withing the program and become a major asset for Dabo Swinney and Co. for years to come.