Lorenzo Ward back as college coach in Palmetto State ... for Clemson Tigers?
Lorenzo Ward spent six seasons as Steve Spurrier’s defensive coordinator at South Carolina. Now, he’ll be working for Dabo Swinney and Clemson.
Ward, who’d been the defensive coordinator at FCS Chattanooga in Tennessee since 2019, has joined the Tigers staff as a special assistant to the head coach, according to a Wednesday night report from David Hood of TigerNet.
A team spokesperson told The State on Thursday that he hadn’t received official word of Ward’s hiring, since Clemson’s coaches are currently out on the road recruiting. But Ward is already listed as an employee in the university staff directory as “Special Assistant to the Head Coach, Football” and has changed his profile picture on X (formerly Twitter) to him wearing an orange Clemson polo.
Looks like Lorenzo "Whammy" Ward is indeed on his way back to Clemson, as we reported was in the works on April 19. Previously DC at UT-Chattanooga. pic.twitter.com/5zy0PQ3qSG
— Larry Williams (@LarryWilliamsTI) May 9, 2024
Ward, 57, has strong ties to Swinney. They overlapped as teammates at Alabama during the 1990 season — Swinney as a wide receiver, Ward as a safety and linebacker — and Ward was also a graduate assistant for the 1991 Alabama team Swinney played on. They’ve spoken highly of each other in the past.
Ward worked as South Carolina’s defensive coordinator under Spurrier from 2009-15 and has also spent time as a position coach at Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Fresno State, Louisville and with the NFL’s then-Oakland Raiders.
Ward also coached two games as Louisville’s interim head coach in 2018, going 0-2 after the university fired Bobby Petrino with two games remaining that year.
Swinney has brought on a number of veteran coaches in recent years to work as special assistants. Longtime defensive coordinator Ted Roof was a special defensive assistant for the 2021 season, and former Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris was a special offensive assistant in 2023.
