CLEMSON FOOTBALL

Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
Conn at Clemson's Fiesta Bowl practice

Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions


by - Senior Writer -

CLEMSON – The news that TigerNet brought you last Saturday has been confirmed: Mickey Conn has joined the Clemson football staff as one of the nine full-time assistant position coaches.

Conn takes the place of defensive tackles coach Dan Brooks, who announced his retirement last Saturday. Conn won’t coach the defensive line, however, and instead will concentrate on the cornerbacks. Defensive backs coach Mike Reed will coach the safeties.

TigerNet first reported last Saturday that Conn would be the likely choice to take Brooks' spot on the coaching staff.

Conn, a former teammate of head coach Dabo Swinney, played defensive back at Alabama and later started the Loganville (GA) Grayson High School program. The only football coach in the history of Grayson prior to this season, Conn had a career coaching record of 137-48 and led Grayson to a state championship in 2011.

Swinney hired Conn last March to become the defensive analyst, and Conn told TigerNet before the Fiesta Bowl that he has spent the last 10 months trying to learn as much as he can as quickly as he can under the tutelage of Brent Venables and the other defensive coaches.

“It's been great. It's been a great experience. Just taking a step back from the role I've been in into the role I'm in now has been challenging because I can't communicate with the players and I can't coach the players,” Conn said. “It's been a great opportunity for me to learn how things are done on this level and the way Coach Swinney does things, the players, the coaches. It's been a great experience. Coach Venables, learning his defense has been a great experience. I feel like I'm learning something new every day. Any time you're growing and learning, it's a great experience.”

A recent rules proposal from the American Football Coaches Association received unanimous support among NCAA head coaches about adding a 10th full-time assistant coach, with members citing overall student-athlete welfare and the ability to create a better player-to-coach ratio.

If that happens – which could be in the spring – Swinney could move another staffer (like analyst Lemansky Hall, who has spent time with Brooks this season) into the tackles spot.

The news broke earlier Tuesday that defensive ends coach Marion Hobby was interested in a position with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL. His status won’t affect Conn’s new status as corners coach (Conn was recruiting Tuesday).

Conn told TigerNet last spring that he wanted to help Swinney win a national title, something he accomplished as a defensive analyst.

“I thought this was a great opportunity,” he said. “I love college football and always have and I thought this would be something different. But this is an opportunity to give my family something different as well. Dabo is doing something special here and I love him, I love his family and I just want to be a part of it.”

As a defensive analyst, Conn had different duties.

“He's (Swinney) created a job called the senior defensive assistant and I'll be working directly with the defensive staff,” Conn said last spring. “I'm not allowed to coach the players on the field, but I can help with the coaches, the game plan, the film work, things of that nature and give input. I can be another set of eyes to help Coach Swinney. No coaching the players. After 18 years that will be different. I will help the coaches. I can be on the sidelines and I can be at practices. I can be in the box and I can do all of that stuff to help the coaches, I just can't directly go to a player and say, 'Hey, you can do this' or 'You have to get into your backpedal.' I can't go off campus in recruiting. And when the coaches go out on the road I will be here controlling the defensive room and helping with the players and keeping the players accountable while I am on campus.”

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Subject (Replies: 39) Author
spacer New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
TigerNet News®
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
BrabbTiger22
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
armsb
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
allorangeallthetime52®
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
CUYankee
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
nocoothere
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
jch81
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
CUYankee
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
prescotttiger®
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
CUYankee
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
Dugatiger®
spacer I wonder what Reed thinks ?***
Hi Cotton Tiger
spacer Re: I wonder what Reed thinks ?***
masked tiger
spacer Bingo! Win ,win for all concerned.***
Tiger5
spacer I can tell you he's not happy about having to share
cutigerbob®
spacer Re: I can tell you he's not happy about having to share
allorangeallthetime52®
spacer Dabo's hiring all his boys....Hall will be next.***
TheSecondComing17
spacer Turnipsedd was one of his best!*
72 Fla. Tiger
spacer Turnipseed****
72 Fla. Tiger
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
lionsdb
spacer Dumb coot, surely you have a link to back up that lie.***
Tiger5
spacer Re: Dumb coot, surely you have a link to back up that lie.***
lionsdb
spacer Re: Dumb coot, surely you have a link to back up that lie.***
lionsdb
spacer I hope it's not true that he's hated by every coach in Georgia...
longtallsam®
spacer Re: Dumb coot, surely you have a link to back up that lie.***
garrick3270
spacer Not really, whatever ,akes you feel better.
MRTTMT
spacer He was recruiting players to go to Grayson
Hi Cotton Tiger
spacer Damm autospell, "any"***
Hi Cotton Tiger
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
allorangeallthetime52®
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
84OX
spacer Re: By Will Hammock - Gwinnett Daily Post - 7-13-16
Colavito®
spacer Tell 'em coot
clemson80tiger
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
84OX
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
Tigers0342
spacer Re: New Story: Conn hired, on the road recruiting as Swinney deals with staff questions
kerigantoo
spacer A Super Bowl ring to go with his natty?
StLouisTiger
spacer OK - good comments, guys, but this story definitely
GrayBengal®
spacer Re: OK - good comments, guys, but this story definitely
fencebusters®
spacer Re: OK - good comments, guys, but this story definitely
Tigers0342
spacer Conn has really been practicing
calitiger