There's no question that Clemson is doing just about everything possible to fix its defense this offseason. The latest move in that pursuit is the hiring of Mike Houston as a defensive analyst.
The move, which was reported by ESPN's Pete Thamel on social media, is a great step for the Tigers. That's because Houston has plenty of skins on the wall.
The 53-year-old is a North Carolina native. There, he coached in the high school ranks from 1994-2005.
In 2006, he started his college coaching career as the head coach at Brevard before moving to Lenoir–Rhyne to serve as defensive coordinator from 2007-10 before taking over as head coach from 2011-13.
Sources: Clemson is set to hire longtime college head coach Mike Houston to work with the defensive staff there. Houston won an FCS national title as the coach at James Madison and spent six seasons as the head coach at East Carolina. pic.twitter.com/RapHJN4PEM
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 10, 2025
Then, from 2014-15 he was head coach at The Citadel. After that, he was head coach at James Madison from 2016-17.
While leading JMU, he helped the Dukes capture the 2016 FCS National Championship. Additionally, he took them to the 2017 FCS National Championship Game.
His shot at being a head coach at the FBS level came in 2018 at East Carolina. Leading the Pirates until 2024, he was 27-38 at one of the most challenging football programs in the nation. Overall as a college head coach, his record is 106-62.
Though Houston will be just an analyst, which means he won't recruit or be in the press box or on the field on game days, he will provide valuable insight and expertise to the Tigers coaching staff. As always, having former head coaches on staff is a great way to bring quality minds into the fold.
Of course, the defensive overhaul at Clemson has been far-reaching this offseason. The Tigers have landed new defensive coordinator Tom Allen from Penn State, added the first two defensive transfers of the Dabo Swinney era, and signed four coveted high school defensive recruits including 5-star defensive tackle Amare Adams and 4-star edge rusher Ari Watford.
Now, Houston has joined the Tigers bringing another great resource to that side of the ball. Hopefully, all of this maneuvering results in a return to playing elite defense for the Tigers next season.