Clemson has a new assistant coach. A College Football Hall of Fame caliber assistant coach.
Former Clemson running back CJ Spiller has now joined Dabo Swinney’s staff as a full-time, on field assistant, and will coach the running backs this season, with Tony Elliott moving over to tight ends.
Swinney says that Spiller has always been a student of the game and that is something that will suit him well as he begins his coaching career.
“He’s got a ton of ton of experience. Always has been a student of the game, always. Was that way here as a player, always wanted to know why and always took a lot of pride in understanding the big picture. A lot of pride in technique and fundamentals.”
The Clemson head coach says that coaching comes naturally to Spiller and that it’s a role he is very much looking forward to watching his former player grow into.
“He’s a natural, he’s a natural coach,” Swinney said. “Certainly a lot of peripheral stuff that goes into being a coach that he’s got to grow into. That’s one of the reasons he wanted to come back last year and just spend a year learning, watching. He’s a quick study, you know, he’s no nonsense.”
Spiller has pretty much experienced it all. At the college level and the professional level, and that is something that Swinney says will pay dividends as he begins the next chapter in his career.
“These guys all respect him,” Swinney said. “It’s gonna be exciting to watch him grow into, I think, a special, special coach.”
