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Clemson DC Wes Goodwin not returning in same role for 2025, per report
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Clemson is not expected to retain Wes Goodwin in his defensive coordinator role for the 2025 season, ESPN’s Pete Thamel and others reported Saturday night. In spite of capturing the ACC title and advancing to the College Football Playoff, Dabo Swinney appears to be eying a key change entering next season.
According to Thamel, the Tigers are still mulling some next steps but could have a formal decision in the near future. Goodwin reportedly has an option to remain with the program in a different role.
Clemson finished 10-4 this season after losing to Texas in the Playoff, but the Tigers were 10-1 against non-SEC teams this season. Still, the defense was an issue in spite of averaging 23.4 points per game against.
The Tigers gave up 30+ points 6 times, including in the ACC Championship Game and in the Playoff loss to the Longhorns. The unit also failed to generate any improvement under Goodwin’s tenure.
Goodwin assumed the DC post prior to the 2022 season. In that 3-year span, the Tigers have averaged at least 20 points per game every season while finishing 4th in the ACC for points allowed per game every season.
While those numbers do not appear egregious, Swinney’s program had developed the gold standard for defense in the ACC prior to 2022.
From 2016-21, Clemson led the ACC in defensive points per game every season but one. That lone season came in 2020 when the Tigers finished 2nd to traditional independent Notre Dame. Four times in that span, the Tigers allowed less than 15 points per game.
Getting Clemson back to that standard defensively would go a long way to regaining its foothold as the perennial power in the ACC.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
