Clemson officially hires Nick Eason as new D-tackles coach. Here are his contract details
Former Clemson defensive lineman Nick Eason is set to make $750,000 over the next three years as the Tigers’ new defensive tackles coach and defensive run game coordinator, approved by the university’s compensation committee on Friday morning.
Effective immediately, the 41-year-old’s contract will run through Jan. 31, 2025. Reports of his hire began to surface on Wednesday. Tigers defensive analyst DeAndre McDaniel seemingly confirmed the news on Twitter later that day.
“I need someone to photoshop a pic of DABO SWINNEY face on The Rock!!!” he tweeted along with a gif of former WWE wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. “I HOPE y’all SMELL what this man COOKING!!OMG!! We want to keep producing NFL TALENT! Why Not Hire WESLEY G & NICK EASON (BOTH NFL TIES) to go with MIKE REED (NFL TIES), LEMANSKI HALL (NFL) & MICKEY CONN?”
Eason also liked a tweet welcoming him “home” to Clemson. The Georgia native spent the 2020 season as Auburn’s defensive line coach and was coaching in the NFL for seven years prior to that.
“To have this opportunity to come back to Clemson is a blessing from God. It is a dream for most coaches to have the opportunity to coach at your alma mater and that is the case for me,” Eason said via a press release from Clemson. “Clemson is a special place. It has been family to me since I first took a visit as a recruit in 1997. I have continued the relationships I started almost 25 years ago with the fans, the administration and the coaching staff. I want to thank Coach Swinney for the opportunity to be a part of a program with such a rich tradition, one that has become one of the best in the nation. I also can’t wait to work with Chief of Staff Woody McCorvey, who I have known and respected for many years.
“Most of all, I am looking forward to working with one of the best defensive lines in the country.”
He’ll replace Todd Bates, who left to be Oklahoma’s associate head coach and defensive line coach under former Clemson defensive coordinator and now Sooners head coach Brent Venables.
Eason had just ended his time playing at Clemson when Swinney arrived in 2003, but the two met that spring when Eason was preparing for the NFL Draft. Swinney noted the way Eason carried himself and the rapport he had with those around him. The Tigers’ head coach never forgot about the defensive lineman and felt this was the right time to bring him back to Clemson.
“As we always say, everything is always on God’s timing. This was the right time for us at Clemson and also for Nick,” Swinney said in the press release while also thanking Bates for what he did during his tenure. “Nick is the epitome of what I look for in a coach. He has an incredible passion for the game, he has got a great background and he truly loves the player. In this hire, I really wanted a guy who had great experience at the NFL level. I wanted somebody who has coached the best of the best at the highest level, and that’s exactly what he’s done. He was a great player at Clemson and he’s a great Clemson man.”
Current Clemson staff list with salaries
- Brandon Streeter, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach ($925,000)
- Wes Goodwin, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach ($850,000)
- Mickey Conn, co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach ($800,000)
- Mike Reed, special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach ($700,000)
- Kyle Richardson, passing game coordinator and tight ends coach ($500,000)
- C.J. Spiller, running backs coach ($300,000)
- Lemanski Hall, defensive ends coach ($500,000)
- Tyler Grisham, wide receivers coach ($300,000)
This story was originally published January 7, 2022 at 8:34 AM with the headline "Clemson officially hires Nick Eason as new D-tackles coach. Here are his contract details."
