Clemson has identified its next president.
Clemson his hiring Georgia provost Ben Ayers for the role. Ayers replaces Kevin Guskiewicz, who backed out of the job after previously accepting the role in order to return to Michigan State.
Ayers succeeds Jim Clements, who retired from his role as Clemson president at the end of 2025.
The news was announced in a press release on Thursday morning.
“It is a tremendous honor to be selected to serve as the next president of Clemson University,” Ayers said in a release. “I am grateful to the Board of Trustees and the search committee for its confidence and humbled by the opportunity to join the Clemson Family. Clemson’s tradition of excellence, its commitment to students and its impact through teaching, research and service make it one of the nation’s most respected public universities. I look forward to working alongside our students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters to build upon the strong foundation and shape an even brighter future together.”
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Guskiewicz’s decision to remain at Michigan State came as a shock to many earlier this week. His reported departure from East Lansing had other impacts across the SEC, as Kentucky was able to hire athletic director J Batt away from the Spartans. Despite Guskiewicz’s return to Michigan State, Batt is expected to move forward with his transition to UK.
Although Ayers and other university presidents will have a role in shaping college athletics, his responsibilities at Georgia were mostly — if not completely — on the academic side of the university. Prior to serving as Provost, Ayers was the dean of UGA’s Terry College of Business.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
