Billy Napier

It has not taken long for Billy Napier to have a profound effect on the Clemson football program, in both the short-term and long-term.

Napier is in his third season coaching the Clemson tight ends and is in his second full year as the recruiting coordinator. In his two seasons with the Clemson program, the Tigers have won 17 games, gone to two bowl games, and had a top-25 national ranking. His tight ends have made strong contributions to an offense that has led the ACC in scoring both seasons. In 2007, the Tigers were also first in the ACC and 20th in the nation in pass efficiency offense, and finished second in the nation in fewest turnover committed.

Napier's tight ends caught 24 passes for four touchdowns and continued to make great contributions to Clemson's balanced offense in 2007. In each of the last two years, Clemson has finished in the top four in the ACC in rushing offense and passing offense, the only ACC team that can make that statement. His players were also successful in the classroom, as Michael Palmer and Alex Pearson made the All-ACC Academic team, the second year in a row two of Napier's players made the team.

In terms of recruiting, he has been the leader of a staff that has brought in a consensus top-20 recruiting class each of the last two years, including a unanimous top-12 class in February of 2008. In fact, ESPN.com ranked Clemson's 2008 class #2 in the nation. That class included Da'Quan Bowers, the top-rated player in the nation according to ESPN.com. It marked the first time in history Clemson had signed a national #1 recruit.

Overall, ESPN.com ranked 10 of Clemson's signees among the top 150 in the nation. Clemson's 2008 class was also ranked #10 by CSTV, #11 by Scout.com, and #12 by Rivals.com.

Clemson's 2007 recruiting class included Parade All-America quarterback Willy Korn and USA Today All-America cornerback Marcus Gilchrist. Three members were natives of North Carolina, and all three were recruited by Napier. At the end of the recruiting season, he was named one of the top-25 recruiters in the nation by Rivals.com.

As tight ends and fullbacks coach, his players were a big reason Clemson led the ACC in scoring offense, total offense, and rushing offense in 2006, just the second ACC team to lead the league in all three categories in the last 25 years.

The blocking of his tight ends and fullbacks was a big reason Clemson was fifth in the nation in rushing, the program's highest national finish in that area in 11 years. They were also key reasons the Tigers scored a record 55 touchdowns, including 31 rushing, in 2006.

Napier's 2006 pupils were led by senior tight end Thomas Hunter, who had 305 receiving yards, the most by a Clemson tight end since All-American Bennie Cunningham in 1975. Hunter was also a leader off the field and was a recipient of the Weaver-James-Corrigan scholarship from the ACC, the only male student-athlete at Clemson to receive that honor. Hunter, along with Pearson, were both named to the All-ACC Academic team as well.

Napier came to Clemson on February 6, 2006. He had just been named offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at S.C. State. In 2005, he helped the Bulldogs to a 9-2 record, including a 7-1 mark in the MEAC, under Head Coach Buddy Pough.

With Napier guiding the quarterbacks, S.C. State averaged 34.4 points per game, 17th-best among the 116 Division I-AA teams. S.C. State scored at least 23 points in every game but one and averaged 39 points per game over the last four games, all victories.

S.C. State was 12th in the nation in rushing and 15th in passing efficiency. It averaged 236 yards per game on the ground and 160 per game through the air. The efficient offense contributed to a fourth-place national finish in turnover margin. The offense committed just 11 turnovers during the 2005 season after losing 33 in 2004.

Napier served as an offensive video graduate assistant at Clemson in 2003 and an on-field graduate assistant coach who worked with the defense during the 2004 season. The Tigers were bowl eligible both seasons, including 2003 when Clemson defeated two top-10 teams in Florida State and Tennessee. The victory over #6 Tennessee took place in the Peach Bowl, and it elevated Clemson into the final AP and USA Today national top 25.

Napier was an outstanding quarterback at Furman. He lettered four years for the Paladins (1999-02) and was a two-time All-Southern Conference signal-caller. A Furman team captain in 2002, he broke the school single-season passing record with 2,475 yards along with the completion percentage record (68.5). He was also a finalist for the 2002 Walter Payton Award, which is given annually to the top offensive player in FCS.

Napier still holds the Furman career record for completion percentage (64.8) and is third in passing yards (4,247). He graduated from Furman with a degree in health & exercise science in 2003.

Napier is a native of Chatsworth, GA and 1998 graduate of Murray County School. In July of 2008, he married the former Ali Lunn, a 2003 Furman graduate.