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Replies: 17
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Orange Phenom [14866]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Clemson Football Staff growth over time...
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Oct 21, 2025, 2:08 PM
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Much has been said about our extremely large Football staff where a significant portion have ties to Dabo (friends, former Alabama teammates, former players, and family members). I've also seen a comment or two that question whether we have too much staff talking in the ears of the players - to the point it breeds confusion/mixed messaging.
So... I decided to use the "way back machine" and look at the past Clemson football staff directories going back to July 2018. According to what was listed on the Clemson athletic website here are the numbers every year since 2018:
In 2018 - (probably the best year ever in the history of Clemson football) the football staff had a total of 36 people listed in the football staff directory. Of that 36 people, 16 were listed as a coach, analyst, or player development person - the roles that have direct links to on-field results. The remaining 20 people on the football staff filled positions that dealt with off-field stuff like administration, recruiting, social media, scholastics, video, life skills etc...
Compare that to 2025 where the football staff has grown by almost 100% from 2018 to a total of 71 people on the football staff with 34 being listed as a coach, analyst, or player development person.
It is understandable that NIL and the changing environment of college football from 2018 would invite some additional staffing to handle such things... but double the staff both in admin roles and on-field player roles?? Dabo has gone from running a 36 person staff in 2018 to running a 71 person staff in 2025. I can't help but think there is a ton of bloat in our program - some of which may be distracting to the overall process of winning football games.
To be sure, some football staff growth occurred under Radakovich, but since December 2021 when Neff took over it has been on steroids (went from 48 to 71). I really do wonder if anyone (particularly Neff) has ever told Dabo "no" when it comes to building this ever growing bureaucracy of a football staff where the on-field results aren't getting better with the growth. Also - who is paying for this staff bloat? SC taxpayers? Resources in the AD that come from revenue (ticket sales/TV)? Some of our IPTAY donations??
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Paw Warrior [5045]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Clemson Football Staff growth over time...
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Oct 21, 2025, 2:18 PM
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Most teams staffs are exploding. For a long time they were kept artificially low by the NCAA, I think the logic was it was an unfair advantage for the big money schools because they could have a larger staff than a low budget school. But now the cap is gone thus the staff explosion.
The quality of that staff is the issue more so than the quantity, especially at higher level position coaches
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110%er [4022]
TigerPulse: 90%
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Re: Clemson Football Staff growth over time...
Oct 21, 2025, 2:19 PM
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I bet before the season you were not complaining about the quality of coaches..
Or maybe you were some of you complain about everything
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Paw Warrior [5045]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Clemson Football Staff growth over time...
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Oct 21, 2025, 2:30 PM
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I can assure you I have been complaining about our incompetent and inexperienced position coaches since Streeter and Austin we’re around.
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110%er [4022]
TigerPulse: 90%
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Re: Clemson Football Staff growth over time...
Oct 22, 2025, 9:33 AM
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Yeah you do seem like a whiner!
If you are old enough to remember I am sure you griped and complained and thought Dabo was inexperienced and a bad hire.
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Paw Warrior [4965]
TigerPulse: 100%
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All you do on this board is whine about other posters.
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Oct 22, 2025, 1:33 PM
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Look in the mirror. You are too old to be acting like you're 9. Every post you make reads like a 9 year old throwing a tantrum.
Grow some balls, old man.
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Varsity [122]
TigerPulse: 86%
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110%er [4022]
TigerPulse: 90%
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Re: Clemson Football Staff growth over time...
Oct 21, 2025, 2:18 PM
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Who pays for it?
Don’t know.
But you people are all about being the best spending the most..
Doesn’t more people mean you care more..
The reason Clemson has lost these games is because in a game between 2 teams one loses ( at least when you have overtime) Clemson has won far more than they have lost especially under Dabo.
Heck without Dabo they rarely sniffed a 10 win season much less a championship of any kind .
Now you all know more than He does and want him gone.
If Clemson Fires Dabo here is one guy that will never watch them again! That would be the most stupid move ever!
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National Champion [7305]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Clemson Football Staff growth over time...
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Oct 22, 2025, 12:33 PM
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Danny Ford sends his regards. Coach Ford had the Clemson football program on solid footing when he was forced out. His last three seasons were 10-2 with two of those as ACC champs. Those were 11 game seasons with no conference championship game and no formal playoff system. He also won bowls those years. He led the program through the three probation years (which he did not cause) very well. Clemson admin broke Clemson football by forcing Danny out and hiring anti-Danny Hatfield. After Hatfield, they hired a Danny clone in West who was not ready to be the Clemson head coach. Then comes Bowden followed by Dabo who built the program back up and is not tearing it down all by himself.
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Tiger Spirit [9920]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Clemson Football Staff growth over time...
Oct 22, 2025, 12:39 PM
[ in reply to Re: Clemson Football Staff growth over time... ] |
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The reason Clemson has lost these games is because in a game between 2 teams one loses
Did a real human type this? The reason we lost...is because we played?
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All-Pro [736]
TigerPulse: 97%
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Fan [31]
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Re: Clemson Football Staff growth over time...
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Oct 21, 2025, 2:18 PM
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I wonder if they've become so compartmentalized with so many people and layers that it is actually worse for development?
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Orange Phenom [14866]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Clemson Football Staff growth over time...
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Oct 21, 2025, 2:57 PM
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In 2018 we had 7 total Defense oriented folks (coach, analyst, player development) and 5 total Offense oriented folks...
In 2025 we have 14 total Defense oriented folks and 15 total Offense oriented folks. Heck we even have 4 individuals dedicated to Special Teams (as compared to 1 in 2018).
With all these extra folks in the mix - are we better at player development in 2025 than we were in 2018?? I say "absolutely not" because it sure ain't showing up on the field during games.
I don't know how much of the actual coaching is now being delegated to the army of "player development/assistant 'whatever' coach" we have on staff but the on-field product has steadily declined with each iteration of hires (particularly the inexperienced former player coaches). It really looks to me that we have transitioned the staff into some kind of weird jobs program for former players and acquaintances of Dabo...
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Rival Killer [3078]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Clemson Football Staff growth over time...
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Oct 21, 2025, 2:39 PM
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Better off spending that money to bring our juniors back for their senior year and buy experienced portal upperclasmen to fill the gaps.
Lining up men vs. boys is the key advantage in the NIL era.
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Valley Protector [1427]
TigerPulse: 100%
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POTD!
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Oct 21, 2025, 4:05 PM
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Thanks for doing the grunt work and showing what many of us have been sensing. We need facts and data as we negotiate and discuss this disaster that the next couple of years will be. I was at the game Saturday and couldn’t believe that there seemed to be more on the sidelines with white support staff tops on than there were players.
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Hall of Famer [8864]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Clemson Football Staff growth over time...
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Oct 22, 2025, 12:02 PM
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Like all bureaucracies, they grow and grow until they no longer function and burst from bloat. See Washington, D.C. or your local governments for reference.
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Tiger Spirit [9989]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: Clemson Football Staff growth over time...
Oct 22, 2025, 12:45 PM
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Good work and research. I wonder what these behind the scenes analyst do?
They never seem to out coach the other team.
Does the research suggest running between the tackles 95% of the time and never stretching the field?
Might be time to get back to the basics. I believe Dabo will fix it.
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null [null]
TigerPulse: null%
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Re: Clemson Football Staff growth over time...
Oct 22, 2025, 1:17 PM
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Here is a picture from the UNC game that visually supports your data. Orange are staff.
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Replies: 17
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