Clemson Football has added several former players to the staff as analysts and other non-coaching roles over the years.
Thomas Austin, CJ Spiller, and Tyler Grisham all started their coaching careers as graduate assistants at Clemson. Artavis Scott, Tyrone Crowder, Tajh Boyd, Deandre McDaniel, and Cole Stoudt have all joined the staff in some capacity in the last few years.
Considering how much Oklahoma coach Brent Venables has based the building of the Sooner program on the principles he learned at Clemson, it isn’t a surprise that he has begun to add his former players to his staff.
James Skalski has announced on Instagram that he will be joining the Oklahoma staff as a graduate assistant for the defense.
Former Clemson LB James Skalski is reuniting with Brent Venables. Pretty cool https://t.co/WhQZDzOD1y pic.twitter.com/yMCscgY9AS
— Matt Connolly (@MattConnollyOn3) January 23, 2023
Skalski played for the Tigers from 2016-21, with Venables as his position coach. He had over 300 tackles in his career. He played in five ACC Championships for the Tigers, helping to win all five of them. He went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft but found a free-agent opportunity with the Indianapolis Colts. He participated in training camp but was released by the Colts before the start of the season.
Skalski was always considered a coach on the field. He was a captain for the Tigers for two seasons. Now that his playing days are over, it isn’t a surprise that he is taking the first steps to start his career in coaching.
Skalski was always considered a coach on the field for the Clemson Football defense
Skalski will know several of the faces he will work with in Oklahoma. Ted Roof, Todd Bates, Miguel Chavis & Thad Turnipseed all followed Venables to Norman after he accepted the head coaching position following the 2021 season. Xavier Brewer, who joined the Sooner support staff following a season at Louisiana-Monroe, was also on staff at Clemson while Skalski was a player.
Roof serves as both defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Sooners, much in the same way that Venables was positioned for the Tigers. Should Roof shed the linebackers coach title at any point, Skalski could be the heir apparent to step into that position.