Mike Reed has had other job offers, but says staying at Clemson is a "no-brainer"

Mike Reed is happy at Clemson.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Dec 27 12:32:03 GMT-04:00 2021

ORLANDO – Mike Reed is known as one of the best defensive coaches in the country, and he’s had opportunities to leave Clemson and coach in other places. But other places aren’t Clemson, and staying in Tiger Town is something he calls a “no-brainer.”

Reed, 49, was on staff for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2002 through 2006 and then was defensive backs coach at N.C. State from 2007 through 2012. He led a 2011 Wolfpack team that had 27 interceptions, most in the country in eight seasons and most in the ACC for 19 years.

In eight years on staff, he has helped the Tigers to a 100-12 record and four national championship game appearances, including national titles in 2016 and 2018. Reed placed two cornerbacks on the 2020 All-ACC team, as Derion Kendrick earned first-team honors and Andrew Booth Jr. earned a second-team selection as the defensive backfield helped Clemson to a sixth consecutive ACC title and College Football Playoff berth.

Reed shared 2019 FootballScoop Defensive Backs Coach of the Year honors with Safeties Coach Mickey Conn, as Reed’s corners helped Clemson finish third in the nation in scoring defense (13.5 points per game) and fourth in the nation in total defense (288.3 yards per game) in 2019, ranking second in opponent passer rating (105.37) and fourth in the country in passing yards allowed per game (172.3).

Reed, the cornerbacks coach, was recently named by head coach Dabo Swinney as the special teams coordinator, and Reed told TigerNet Sunday that he’s happy with the change.

“It's a great honor to be in this position,” Reed said. “Been here nine years now, and for Coach [Dabo] Swinney to elevate me to special teams coordinator shows that he has some faith in me as a coach, as a man, as a person, as a mentor to some of these young men. We are here this week and going to put on a good show.”

Reed said he’s never seriously considered leaving Clemson and staying is a no-brainer.

“Not really. You have opportunities every year. I have been in the game for a long time, and I have a lot of friends that are at a lot of places,” Reed said. “When you are at a place like Clemson, it's hard to leave, okay. We do a lot of things different than a lot of people. A lot of people just base their program solely on winning and not developing. That's one good thing that I love about Clemson and the fact that it's a family atmosphere. My family feels appreciated and wanted and they are around the facility.

“Like I said, I love my kids. When I say ‘my kids,’ I mean my players. They are like family, so when those opportunities come, you have got to look at it as, hey, do you want to leave these kids? And, I'm not ready to leave my kids. Not ready to leave the staff. My kids have been here since three and five years old, and that's all they know is Clemson, so for me it was a no-brainer.”

Two players in this year’s Clemson group, Andrew Booth Jr. and Mario Goodrich, were named all-ACC.

“I mean, as I said, it's a developmental program, and to see them grab ahold of a lot of things that we try to teach them, and for them to use them every day, it's great,” Reed said. “It's like a newborn child. You see them crawl and see them walk and see them take their first steps and run, it's a great feeling. These guys deserve it. They have put in the work, and now it's coming to fruition.”

Swinney praised Reed for his work with the corners.

“That’s the first time in a long time we’ve had two all-conference corners,” Swinney said. “Coach Reed has done an unbelievable job. He’s going to take over that special teams coordinator role and a little bit more of a learning opportunity.”