Conn says he works well with Wes Goodwin

Mickey Conn says he works well with Wes Goodwin.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri May 20 08:00:07 GMT-05:00 2022

Mickey Conn and Wes Goodwin are a lot alike in many ways. Both are quick to smile, very personable, and both love the game of football. Both are also good coaches that players love, and the two are now working side-by-side as co-defensive coordinators. And they are ok with that.

Goodwin will call the plays and will be on the field while Conn will be in the pressbox and give input on what he’s seeing through the headsets. The two had a chance to work out the kinks during the Tigers’ win over Iowa St. in the Cheez-It Bowl in December.

“We went through the two weeks of preparation getting ready, getting in front of the guys, gaining their confidence and gaining their trust because we played really good defense efficiency-wise, better than we played all year last year,” Conn said.

Conn served as senior defensive analyst in 2016, helping the Tigers to the program’s second national championship with a victory over his alma mater, Alabama. He then moved to an on-field role when he became the full-time safeties coach in 2017. He spent most of 2021 as the special teams coordinator before being elevated to his current role when Brent Venables left for Oklahoma in early December.

Goodwin is going on his second stint and 11th year overall at Clemson, the last four with Conn also on staff. Under the new dynamic duo, the Clemson defense held Iowa St. to just one offensive touchdown and 270 total yards.

“To get that thrown on you, which is fantastic, that’s exactly what you want in this business. You want that opportunity,” Conn said of his co-coordinator title. “Wes and I work really well together. We worked really well together even when he was an analyst. The guy is brilliant and does a great job.”

Conn detailed his duties when the games start back in earnest in September – the Tigers open season Labor Day night against Georgia Tech in the Mercedes-Benz Dome in Atlanta.

“Just having an overall say in what we’re doing schematically whether it be the (defensive) front, linebackers or the back end coverage-wise,” Conn said. “Looking at formations, shifts and personnel. Just all those things I’m getting to put my eyes on and really have a say in. Some of it I was already doing in the box, but now on the practice field, I’m having a little bit more say and having a bigger voice with the players.”

Conn told TigerNet recently that he thinks the Tigers have a defense capable of winning a National Championship.

"There's no question. Our defensive line is fantastic. As long as, they put in the work from now, till the time we start [but] there's work that needs to be done,” Conn said. “Don't go reading our press clippings. We got a chance. But you got to put the work in. We go back to that 2018 defensive line. Those guys were different. They were special. They had great leadership. And this defensive line has that same thing about them. They have that same characteristic about them. And they got a lot of experience too."