Whom will Clemson turn to next?

By Lee Roberts  |   Friday, October 31, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

Clemson Tigers
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The long-anticipated removal of head coach Tommy Bowden has opened the floodgates on the rumor mill at Clemson. For a program starving for a winner, the Tigers need to make the right choice. Right now, there are a few names that seem to come up the most often, but what direction will athletic director Terry Don Phillips turn?

Commentary: Clemson is an SEC school in everything but name. It's located in the heart of SEC country and is clearly a football-first school, as opposed to the rest of the basketball-obsessed ACC. The Tigers’ fan base is as rabid as any and wants to compete on a national level. The next head coach will have immense pressure on him to take Clemson to that level.

The most popular current head coaches to be thrown around as possibilities are Tommy Tuberville and Butch Davis. It would be hard to fathom Tuberville leaving the SEC for a lesser job when you consider the success he’s had at Auburn. However, with a 4-4 record and Alabama and Georgia still on the schedule, he might not be asked back despite tremendous success in recent years, including an undefeated season. Davis, on the other hand, is ahead of schedule at North Carolina, with a 6-2 record in only his second year. Davis is saying the right things to calm the UNC faithful who have heard his name mentioned in connection to Clemson and a possible opening at Tennessee.

There are two assistant coaches who also have drawn some attention. Defensive coordinators Will Muschamp (Texas) and Bud Foster (Virginia Tech) are both possibilities, but one must wonder where their ambitions lie. Muschamp seems to want to return to the SEC, where he coached at LSU and Auburn, while Foster seems content in Blacksburg, where he’d be the logical successor to Frank Beamer. Of the two, Muschamp seems more likely to make the move to Clemson.

Regardless of who is hired, he will have an inappropriate amount of pressure on him. Despite its fan and booster support, Clemson hasn’t won an ACC title since 1991. With young, talented teams at FSU, Miami, Virginia Tech and North Carolina, it might be awhile till Clemson wins another one.

Fan Pulse: Clemson fans think making the move from North Carolina to Clemson would be a no-brainer for Davis.

Injury Watch: QB Willy Korn, RB C.J. Spiller and O-lineman David Smith all were able to use the bye week to recover from injuries and should be available. Smith’s return is vital with Barry Humphries out.
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About Lee Roberts

Born in Richmond, Va, I moved south to UNC-Chapel Hill for college and received a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and cover Auburn, LSU and the ACC.
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