As Clemson tries to come to grips with the departure of Brent Venables they still have some uncertainty on the horizon. Will Tony Elliott follow Venables out the door? Will Dan Radakovich move on to Miami for the same position?
We wanted to pass along the latest based on the information we gathered late Sunday night.
We can tell you that after talking with several sources in the Clemson athletic department late Sunday that they had not been notified by Radakovich about any decisions regarding the opening at Miami. Conversations continued over the weekend between Radakovich and Miami.
Coach Elliott is high on the candidate list for both Virginia and Duke. Representatives from Duke traveled Sunday to meet with Elliott in the Upstate. Current Penn State co-defensive coordinator and former Virginia player Anthony Poindexter is expected to interview for the Virginia job in Las Vegas according to multiple reports.
As of Monday morning we believe Elliott to Duke is more likely than Elliott to Virginia but he is very much in play with both schools.
As we reported Sunday we confirmed that Clemson plans to spend whatever is necessary to find the best replacements for coach Venables and coach Elliott if needed.
The timing of Venables departure Sunday night and the possibility of Elliott also leaving is not great. Coach Swinney was in Las Vegas Sunday to watch his former Tigers and has plans to stay until Tuesday for C.J. Spillers Hall of Fame ceremony. He is also expected to be on the recruiting trail this week for the Tigers. We spoke with a source in the athletic department Sunday night and they were not aware of any plans for Swinney to return to Clemson sooner.
Swinney and his staff will have to do what they can to make sure no Clemson commits decide to reconsider their decisions after the departure of Venables. In today’s world of the transfer portal he will also have to do the same with the current players.
Rising Clemson star Trenton Simpson changes his Twitter information Sunday after the news of Venables departure broke.
Swinney’s culture has been a key ingredient to Clemson’s success the past decade. This week the culture will get one of its biggest tests.