David Pollack suggests ACC head coach for South Carolina opening
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Several names have been suggested for the head coach opening at South Carolina, with current head coaches Louisiana’s Billy Napier, Coastal Carolina’s Jamey Chadwell and Liberty’s Hugh Freeze — along with Oklahoma assistant Shane Beamer — among the names getting traction since the dismissal of Will Muschamp.
But there’s one other name that ESPN’s David Pollack feels should be in the mix that hasn’t been brought up yet: Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson.
While Pollack admits that the Demon Deacons haven’t had overwhelming success with Clawson at the helm, he cites Clawson’s ability to make the most of the resources he has had in Winston-Salem.
“Never been in the top 10 in the ACC in recruiting, their offense since 2017 has been only behind Clemson. Second in the ACC. So a guy that can take less-talented players, a weird style, a different style of offense that is very unique and tough to prepare for that people don’t run,” Pollack said on his college football podcast he co-hosts with Kevin Negandhi and fellow “College GameDay” analyst Kirk Herbstreit, according to 247Sports. “I think it’s a good fit for any team … he won at Bowling Green. He’ll win anywhere.”
Clawson’s record is 40-43 at Wake Forest, with a 19-35 mark in the ACC, which alone might be enough to cool Gamecocks fans to the idea. But time will tell if athletic director Ray Tanner will entertain the option and make Clawson a serious target.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
