Mike Reed named DB Coach of the Year

by Press Release - Tue Jan 05 20:09:54 GMT-04:00 2016

FootballScoop is proud to announce that Mike Reed is the 2015 FootballScoop Defensive Backs Coach of the Year presented by ProGrass.

You don’t go 14-0 on your run to the national championship game without being good at all positions across the field. But perhaps nowhere did Clemson excel more in 2015 than in the defensive backfield.

The Tigers head to Glendale ranking second in opponent completion percentage (47.6 — just one percentage point behind first-place Michigan), tied for 13th in yards per attempt allowed (6.0), and sixth in pass efficiency defense (104.0).

All told, opposing passers have hoisted 412 attempts, completing only 196, for 2,481 yards with 17 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 62 passes defended and only 96 completions of 10-plus yards allowed — each good enough to rank among the top 40 nationally.

Reed’s unit held Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield to one of his worst outings of the season in the Tigers’ 37-17 Orange Bowl win, as the Heisman candidate completed 26-of-41 throws for 311 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions with minus-15 rushing yards, his fewest of the season.

All told, Clemson ranked sixth in total defense (301.6 yards per game), 13th in yards per play allowed (4.71), and 16th in scoring defense (20.0 points per game).

Individually, Mackensie Alexander garnered First Team All-ACC honors, safety Jayron Kearse earned a spot on the Second Team All-ACC squad, and Cordrea Tankersley received third team honors after finishing the year tied for 19th with five interceptions.

Reed played for Tom Coughlin at Boston College, then spent two seasons with the Carolina Panthers. After two years with the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe, Reed jumped into coaching in the German football league, then spent two seasons at Richmond. He spent five years coaching defensive backs and special teams with the Philadelphia Eagles, then six more coaching the secondary at N.C. State before landing at Clemson in 2013.

The FootballScoop Coaches of the Year awards presented by ProGrass are the only set of awards that recognize the most outstanding position coaches in college football. The finalists (Kirk Callahan [Florida], Kerry Cooks [Oklahoma], Daronte’ Jones [Wisconsin], Phil Parker [Iowa] and Reed) were selected based off of nominations by coaches, athletic directors, and athletic department personnel. The prior winners selected this year’s winner.

Reed will be recognized at an event at the AFCA Convention next week. The Tigers will meet Alabama for the national championship on Monday night.

Previous winners of the Defensive Backs Coach of the Year award are Tim Billings (Wake Forest, 2008), Everett Withers and Troy Douglas (North Carolina, 2009), Chad Glasgow and Clay Jennings (TCU, 2010), Ron Cooper (LSU, 2011), Bill Busch and Kendrick Shaver (Utah State, 2012), Jeremy Pruitt (Florida State, 2013) and Dave Wommack and Jason Jones (Ole Miss, 2014).