‘Great fits’: Why 2 new Clemson football assistant coaches are thriving as recruiters

Nick Eason and Thomas Austin are quick to acknowledge that Clemson football recruiting is never a one-man job.

Their employer offers sprawling facilities, extensive support staff, a charismatic head coach and a decade-long winning tradition on the sport’s biggest stages. Those are all attributes, they say, that make Clemson an “easy sell” to high school prospects.

At the same time, the proof is in the class of 2023 pudding: When it comes to recruiting, first-year defensive tackles coach Eason and first-year offensive line coach Austin have been invaluable additions to Dabo Swinney’s staff.

And they’re spearheading one of the best recruiting classes in the country.

“They’re great communicators, they’re great relationship people, they’ve got a great sense of humor and they both love what they do,” Swinney said. “So they’re great fits for us.”

Together, Eason and Austin are responsible for landing four of the top five commits and seven of the top 11 in Clemson’s 2023 recruiting class. That 17-player group ranks No. 1 in the ACC and No. 5 nationally, per 247Sports Composite rankings.

Not too shabby for a coach who’s replacing Todd Bates, Clemson’s former defensive line coach and ace recruiter who’s now at Oklahoma. Or another who’s following in the footsteps of Robbie Caldwell, Clemson’s longtime offensive line coach who now works for the program in an off-field role.

But, as Swinney said, “this isn’t their first rodeo.”

Take Eason, 42, a former Clemson and NFL defensive lineman who joined the Tigers in January as defensive tackles coach and defensive run game coordinator.

His college coaching experience was minimal, limited to the 2021 season at Auburn, but the rest of his résumé (namely: 17 combined years as an NFL player and coach) spoke for itself. Skeptical onlookers be damned.

One coach, Eason recalled, asked him early in his transition from the NFL to college football, “How are you going to be able to recruit?” When he heard that, he laughed.

Eason shot back: “Well, I’m the one that’s played in two Super Bowls. I played in the league for 11 years. And I’m from south Georgia, a small town, so I know how to talk to people because everybody knows everybody where I’m from in Lyons. I’ve always been able to have authentic conversations with people. It’s going to be real easy.”

A bit tongue in cheek? Yes. Accurate? Also yes.

By sharing his authentic self and pulling out the occasional musical instrument, Eason has drawn in talent galore in his brief Tiger tenure. He might be, as one writer quipped, “the first coach in college football history to sign a contract with a school and deserve a raise before ever coaching a game.” Some recruiting highlights:

• Breaking out a guitar and harmonizing with a youth pastor on an official visit with four-star 2022 defensive lineman Caden Story. Story was committed to Auburn but decommitted and followed Eason to Clemson when he switched jobs.

• Pulling three four-star 2023 defensive line commits from the state of Georgia in June. No. 42 overall recruit Vic Burley, No. 206 recruit Stephiylan Green and No. 291 recruit AJ Hoffler all had Eason as their primary recruiter, per 247Sports.

• Leading the program’s push for five-star defensive lineman and No. 28 recruit Peter Woods. Woods committed the Tigers earlier this month after what essentially became a head-to-head battle between Clemson and Alabama.

On the other side of the trenches, 35-year-old Austin has proven a worthy competitor on the recruiting trail. A former Clemson offensive lineman and team captain who later played four years in the NFL, his tangible experience and measured pitches have resonated with many.

Four-star interior offensive lineman Harris Sewell from Texas is Austin’s most decorated 2023 commit. He’s the No. 2 player at his position and No. 85 recruit in the class, and he committed June 29 to far-off Clemson over in-state programs Texas and Texas A&M, plus Alabama and Oklahoma.

Austin has secured two four-star offensive tackles in No. 170 recruit Zechariah Owens of Georgia and No. 238 recruit Ian Reed of Texas.

Looking ahead, Clemson’s also in good standing with in-state 2024 tackles and top 100 national recruits Kam Pringle and Josiah Thompson.

“When I was coming to Clemson, I had other schools that were giving me opportunities to maybe play earlier, but those schools were just trying to get to a bowl game,” Austin said. “Clemson was trying to win an ACC championship. Now, we’re trying to win (national) championships every year. So you’re looking for guys that aren’t afraid of competition.”

Clemson’s summer success, Austin said, has also been an “affirmation” that the program’s brand is holding strong amid myriad changes to the college football landscape, from the transfer portal to NIL to conference realignment.

“Coach Swinney said it the other day: The more chaotic college football becomes, the more attractive Clemson will become to the right guys,” Austin said.

Inevitably, “we’re not going to get everybody,” Eason said.

Clemson, like all programs, had some recent misses on 2023 recruits including defensive line targets Keldric Faulk (Florida State), Darron Reed (FSU) and TJ Searcy (Florida) and offensive line targets Sullivan Absher (Notre Dame) and Sam Pendleton (Notre Dame).

As for the 2023 prospects these first-year coaches have brought into the fold, though, by riffing on their journeys from “Clemson guys” to “Clemson men,” as Swinney put it? Recruiting’s never a one-man job, but Eason and Austin certainly hold their own.

Clemson’s 2023 OL/DL commits

National rankings via 247Sports Composite

5-star Thompson (Ala.) DL Peter Woods (No. 28 nationally)

4-star Warner Robbins (Ga.) DL Vic Burley (No. 44)

4-star Permian (Tex.) IOL Harris Sewell (No. 85)

4-star Eagle’s Landing Christian (Ga.) OT Zechariah Owens (No. 170)

4-star Rome (Ga.) DL Stephiylan Green (No. 206)

4-star Vandergrift (Tex.) OT Ian Reed (No. 238)

4-star Woodward Academy (Ga.) DL AJ Hoffler (No. 291)