Clemson’s search for its next head baseball coach is in its infancy stages following Monte Lee’s firing two days ago. Some coaches that athletic director Graham Neff may want to discuss the vacancy with are also slated to coach in regionals this weekend.
Nevertheless, Neff said he wants to move as quickly as possible to get it filled, and The Clemson Insider has gathered some intel on the search. We wanted to pass along the latest information we have on the situation.
It’s premature to say any candidate is the favorite to land the job at this point, but there are three prominent sitting head coaches at the collegiate level that Neff may make tell him no before moving on. A source with knowledge of the situation tells TCI that Michigan’s Erik Bakich, Notre Dame’s Link Jarrett and East Carolina’s Cliff Godwin are near if not at the top of his wish list.
All three are set to coach their teams in regionals that are scheduled to run through Sunday, so whether or not Neff has reached out to any of them yet to discuss the job is unclear. Neff said earlier this week he planned to respect potential candidates’ current situations but would also gauge their interest in talking about the job now.
Additionally, TCI has learned from sources that West Virginia coach Randy Mazey, former Clemson player Billy McMillon and two other sitting coaches in the ACC may also be on Neff’s radar. While we can’t confirm how serious the interest is from Neff or any of those potential candidates, we can tell you those involved with one of the ACC programs aren’t ruling out the possibility of Clemson making a run at its coach.
Mazey, who led the Mountaineers to their first regional appearance in 21 years in 2017, got his coaching career started at Clemson as a graduate assistant under Bill Wilhelm from 1990-93. He’s also been a head coach at Charleston Southern (1994-96) and ECU (2003-05).
An All-American during his playing days at Clemson from 1991-93, McMillon spent nine seasons working his way up the managerial ladder in the Boston Red Sox’s farm system after playing six seasons in the big leagues. He most recently managed the Worcester Red Sox, Boston’s Triple-A affiliate, in 2021 but has never coached at the collegiate level.
Bakich also has ties to Clemson’s program. He got his coaching career started at Clemson as a volunteer assistant under Jack Leggett in 2002. Clemson went to the College World Series in Bakich’s lone season on staff.
Bakich also spent time as an assistant at Vanderbilt and was the head coach for three seasons at Maryland before taking the job at Michigan, where he’s in his 10th season. He led the Wolverines to the College World Series in 2019, their first trip to Omaha since 1984.
As for Jarrett, he compiled a 215-166 record in seven seasons as the head coach at UNC Greensboro before moving on to Notre Dame in 2020. In his first full season as the Fighting Irish’s coach in 2021, Notre Dame won the ACC’s Atlantic Division and advanced to the super regionals. The Fighting Irish, which finished second in the division this season, are 80-29 so far under Jarrett’s guidance, including a 44-21 mark in ACC regular-season play.
He was also an assistant from 2006-09 at ECU, where Godwin has been the head coach since 2015. A native of Snow Hill, North Carolina, Godwin, a catcher at ECU from 1998-2001, has turned his alma mater into the premier program in the American Athletic Conference. Godwin has compiled a 300-148-1 record in his eight seasons at the helm, leading the Pirates to the last three AAC regular-season titles.
Getting Godwin to leave home if that’s the direction Neff decides he wants to go would likely require a hard sell, but Clemson should be able to put together a competitive financial package when it comes to luring top candidates. Godwin is reportedly making a base salary of $405,000 this season in addition to $60,000 in marketing payments, all of which is less than Monte Lee’s total compensation of $500,000 this year at Clemson.
Bakich, who had his contract extended following that CWS appearance three years ago, made $400,000 in base salary as recently as 2020. According to MLive.com, Bakich is also slated to receive at least $200,000 annually in supplemental pay for the duration of his deal, which runs through 2024.
As a private institution, Notre Dame isn’t required to publicly disclose salary information for its coaches. Last year, the school announced a contract extension for Jarrett that runs his deal through the end of the 2026 season.
