OL with Clemson ties discusses offer from Tigers that he’d ‘been working for’

Clemson extended a new offer this week to a top offensive line prospect from the Tar Heel State with multiple ties to the program. South Point High School (Belmont, N.C.) four-star tackle Sullivan Absher – a 6-foot-7, 300-pound junior in the class …

Clemson extended a new offer this week to a top offensive line prospect from the Tar Heel State with multiple ties to the program.

South Point High School (Belmont, N.C.) four-star tackle Sullivan Absher – a 6-foot-7, 300-pound junior in the class of 2023 – picked up the offer during a FaceTime call Wednesday night with Clemson tight ends coach Kyle Richardson and offensive line coach Thomas Austin.

South Point is the alma mater of former Clemson and All-ACC safety Tanner Muse, whose family has been friends with Absher’s family for quite some time and lives in the neighborhood next to the Absher family.

It’s also the alma mater of Richardson, who has maintained regular contact with Absher and got in touch with him again Wednesday night.

“Coach Richardson had asked me to FaceTime him (Wednesday night), which was nothing out of the ordinary, and then Coach Austin joined the call,” Absher told The Clemson Insider. “We were just making normal conversation for a bit, and then Coach Austin says he has something he wanted me to know, and then he offered me! As soon as he said it, my face just lit up. It was one I had been working for, for a very long time.”

Absher traveled to Clemson twice during the season – first for the Boston College game in October and then for the Wake Forest game in November – so his relationship with Richardson, Austin and the Tigers is one that has been developing over time and continuing to grow since the visits.

“They had been consistently telling me to stick with them through the whole process and good things would happen,” Absher said, “and I guess they did!”

Absher is ranked by Rivals as the No. 6 prospect in the state of North Carolina, No. 22 offensive tackle nationally and No. 247 overall prospect in the country for the class of 2023.

What is it about Absher as an offensive lineman that the Tigers like and made them want to pull the trigger on an offer, in his estimation?

“I think it’s my ability to fire off and explode off the ball,” he said, “as well as the speed and flexibility I have at my size.”

Absher, who has amassed nearly 20 offers since last June, told TCI last month that North Carolina, Notre Dame, NC State and Stanford are some of the schools he’s built the best relationships with at this point in his recruiting process, along with Clemson.

Absher is in the process of narrowing down his recruitment and doesn’t expect to make a commitment anytime soon. He told TCI that Clemson is “right there at the top” of his list now after joining the mix with an offer.

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How much will Clemson football’s coaching staff make in 2022?

Clemson will save a couple million dollars on its football assistant coaching salary pool this year despite the raises recently approved for some of the Tigers’ on-field assistants. Last week, the university’s Board of Trustees Compensation …

Clemson will save a couple million dollars on its football assistant coaching salary pool this year despite the raises recently approved for some of the Tigers’ on-field assistants.

Last week, the university’s Board of Trustees Compensation Committee rubber stamped bumps in pay for five assistant coaches. Add that to the promotions within or new hires to Dabo Swinney’s staff since the end of last season, and the Tigers’ 10 on-field assistants will collectively make $6.55 million this year before any performance-related bonuses.

That’s down $2 million from the $8.55 million the staff earned last year, which isn’t a surprise given the turnover it’s experienced.

Former defensive coordinator Brent Venables ($2.5 million) was the highest-paid assistant in college football while former offensive coordinator Tony Elliott ($2 million) wasn’t far behind. Both won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach during their time at Clemson before leaving in December to run their own programs at Oklahoma and Virginia, respectively.

The Tigers’ newly promoted coordinators, Brandon Streeter and Wesley Goodwin, will make $1.725 million combined this year, roughly a $2.8 million reduction from what Venables and Elliott earned. Safeties coach Mickey Conn, who recently had co-defensive coordinator added to his title, will earn $800,000 this year.

Cornerbacks coach Mike Reed and defensive tackles coach Nick Eason, recently hired away from Auburn, are Clemson’s next highest-paid assistants at $750,000 each. Eason’s annual salary is a slight bump from that of his predecessor, Todd Bates, who was going to make $715,000 this year before leaving to join Venables’ staff at Oklahoma, where he’ll also be an associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator.

Reed’s salary for this year is up from $700,000 after recently adding titles of assistant head coach and special teams coordinator. Other assistants who also got raises were defensive ends coach Lemanski Hall ($625,000 from $500,000), running backs coach C.J. Spiller ($450,000 from $300,000), receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Tyler Grisham ($450,000 from $300,000), tight ends coach and passing-game coordinator Kyle Richardson ($500,000) and offensive line coach Thomas Austin ($450,000 from $200,000), a former offensive analyst who was promoted following Robbie Caldwell’s recent retirement from coaching.

“We’ve got a great staff,” Swinney recently said in a statement. “It’s going to be fun to start fresh with this group and attack spring practice and our offseason program. We’ve got a lot of great energy. It’s fun to be settled and have everybody in their new roles. We do have new people but also new opportunities within our staff that everyone is excited about.”

As for Swinney, he will earn $8.5 million in the fourth year of the 10-year contract extension he signed in 2019, the same salary he earned last year. Swinney’s total pay will bump to $8.75 million next year, according to the term sheet of his contract.

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Clemson ‘dream school’ for 4-star Texas TE

The Clemson Insider has the latest on a tight end in the 2023 recruiting class that Clemson has recently sparked interest in. A couple of months ago, some Clemson staff members followed Bridgeland (Texas) High School’s four-star tight end, Reid …

The Clemson Insider has the latest on a tight end in the 2023 recruiting class that Clemson has recently sparked interest in.

A couple of months ago, some Clemson staff members followed Bridgeland (Texas) High School’s four-star tight end, Reid Mikeska, on Twitter. He didn’t think much of it then, but since Kyle Richardson has taken over the tight ends room, he has received more and more interest from the Tigers.

“Recently, they reached out and said they really liked my film,” Mikeska told The Clemson Insider. “I talked with Coach Richardson a couple of times and they definitely love my film. They love me as a player and they just want to continue to build a relationship. Clemson takes things slow recruiting wise and they told me to be patient.”

Mikeska is looking forward to continuing to build his relationship with Richardson.

Richardson, of course, took over as Clemson’s tight ends coach and passing game coordinator after Tony Elliott departed to become the head coach at the University of Virginia this offseason. He has been a key off-field contributor to Clemson’s offensive success since 2016. Prior to that, he served as a head coach of Northwestern High School (Rock Hill, S.C.) from 2011-15.

“I really like him,” Mikeska said of Richardson, “just from a couple of times when I talked to him. Definitely like him a lot.”

What do his conversations with Richardson generally entail?

First off, they are just getting to know each other and getting a feel for another. Clemson wants Mikeska to come up for a visit this spring and then wants him to come back later in the summer. According to Mikeska, the Tigers want him to camp at Clemson, so they can coach him up, get a good look at him and have a chance to meet with him.

“I’m super excited,” he said regarding the prospect of visiting Clemson. “That’s actually my dream school if I were to go anywhere, it would definitely be Clemson if I had my choice. Super excited about that. Really excited that the coaches are interested in me.”

Mikeska was born in the Carolinas, he has a cousin that goes to Clemson and all his family lives in the area. So he remains hopeful that a Clemson offer will eventually come his way when the time is right.

“It would mean everything,” Mikeska said. “Ever since I was a kid, I loved Clemson. It would mean a lot. It would be huge for me.”

As far as his recruitment is concerned, Mikesaka is gonna let the process play out and visit as many places as he can. So far this month, he’s visited Michigan, Michigan State and TCU and with that, the offers continue to pile up.

Since Dec. 1, 2021, Mikeska has earned offers from Baylor, Texas Tech, Houston, Purdue, Michigan State, Colorado, Memphis, North Texas, Iowa State, Virginia, Tennessee, Kansas and Mizzou, who came in with an offer late Thursday night.

Mikeska felt like he was able to display what he’s able to do this past season and put on film what he wanted to during his junior campaign. He helped Bridgeland reach the Texas 6A State Quarterfinals.

How would Mikeska describe himself as a player to someone who’s never seen him play before?

“I would definitely describe myself as a big, physical, athletic tight end, who can play it all,” he said. “I play in the slot, I play H-back and I play hand in the dirt. I can just do anything that an offense would need me to do.”

According to Mikeska, Richardson loves his size, how he moves and his blocking.

“He’s a fan of how I can do it all,” Mikeska added.

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Big-time Minnesota tight end announces Clemson offer

Clemson handed out a new offer to a prospect in the 2023 recruiting class Wednesday. Braving the bitter cold, Clemson tight ends coach Kyle Richardson traveled to Minnesota and met with the head coach of a highly-touted prospect in The North Star …

Clemson handed out a new offer to a prospect in the 2023 recruiting class Wednesday.

Braving the bitter cold, Clemson tight ends coach Kyle Richardson traveled to Minnesota and met with the head coach of a highly-touted prospect in The North Star State.

Robbinsdale Cooper (Minneapolis, MN.) four-star tight end Jaxon Howard announced an offer from the Tigers on Twitter.

Howard (6-4, 245) ranks as the No. 7 athlete, No. 80 overall propsect nationally and No. 1 recruit in the state of Minnesota for the 2023 recruiting class.

Howard is the first tight end to receive an offer from Clemson and Richardson, since Tony Elliott, who previously coached the position group, left to become the head coach at the University of Virginia.

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4-star OL with ties to Clemson gives the latest on his recruitment

The Clemson Insider recently caught up with a four-star offensive line prospect in the 2023 class with a couple of ties to the Clemson football program. The Tigers have been showing interest in Sullivan Absher, a 6-foot-7, 300-pound junior from …

The Clemson Insider recently caught up with a four-star offensive line prospect in the 2023 class with a couple of ties to the Clemson football program.

The Tigers have been showing interest in Sullivan Absher, a 6-foot-7, 300-pound junior from South Point High School in Belmont, N.C.

South Point is the alma mater of former Clemson and All-ACC safety Tanner Muse, whose family has been friends with Absher’s family for a while.

It’s also the alma mater of Kyle Richardson, who was recently promoted to tight ends coach for the Tigers following Tony Elliott’s departure to Virginia.

Absher and Richardson continue to stay in contact and strengthen their relationship with one another.

“Just the usual, weekly check-ins and texts with Coach Richardson,” Absher said.

“It’s been great!” Absher added of the bond they’ve built. “Me and him are both from Belmont, so he’s a real relatable guy.”

Absher’s list of more than a dozen scholarship offers includes Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Stanford, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, among others.

Absher mentioned NC State, UNC, Notre Dame, Stanford and Clemson as the schools he feels he has built the best relationships with at this point in his recruiting process. But right now, his recruitment remains relatively wide open.

“Honestly everyone is about the same right now,” he said when asked if any of his suitors are showing him the most love. “I’ll get a better feel after the spring once I’ve visited a few more schools.”

“I’ve started narrowing it down slightly in my head,” he added when asked about top schools, “but still completely open to more schools.”

Absher already has a few visits lined up for this month and a few other schools in mind that he is looking to get to, including Clemson.

“Right now, I’ve only got three visits planned for January – Notre Dame, UNC and NC State,” he said. “I’m hoping to get back down to Clemson as soon as the invitation’s there. Also hope to get up to Penn State and maybe Stanford.”

Absher visited Clemson twice during the season, first for the Boston College game in October and then for the Wake Forest game in November.

He has told TCI in the past that he believes he would “fit right in” at Clemson and the Tigers “would definitely be near the top” of his list if they offer in the future.

“The culture of Clemson football is what I like the most about the Tigers,” he said. “The resiliency, the work ethic, the team-first mindset – all of these things remind me of my school right now, so that’s a pretty big priority for (schools) to have.”

Absher is ranked by Rivals as the No. 22 offensive tackle and No. 248 overall prospect in the 2023 class.

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Second generation signee won Swinney, Clemson over in camp

After being unable to secure the commitments of some of the nation’s top-rated tight ends, Clemson shifted its focus to a legacy recruit. Greenville (S.C.) three-star tight end Josh Sapp – the son of former Clemson and NFL linebacker Patrick Sapp – …

After being unable to secure the commitments of some of the nation’s top-rated tight ends, Clemson shifted its focus to a legacy recruit.

Greenville (S.C.) three-star tight end Josh Sapp — the son of former Clemson and NFL linebacker Patrick Sapp — officially put pen to paper with the Tigers on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period for class of 2022 football recruits.

“Clemson has always been a dream school of mine and it just feels like I’m at home when I’m there and everything about it is just great,” Josh told The Clemson Insider regarding his decision to commit to Clemson. “It was a no-brainer for me. It just felt right.”

Josh definitely fell victim to being under-recruited, considering how many different positions he played at Greenville High School.

Clemson didn’t realize just how much potential he had at the tight end position until he camped at the Dabo Swinney Camp as a rising senior this past summer.

“They said that they just didn’t know how good Josh was because he’s played quarterback, he’s played defensive end and when you watch his film, he plays a lot of different positions,” Patrick told TCI following his son’s commitment to Clemson. “They didn’t know he was a true tight end until he got to camp. I can tell that they were somewhat surprised by that and wished that they had got in much earlier on really recruiting him.”

“The one thing we loved about Josh, the more and more we evaluated him, is his versatility,” Swinney said Wednesday during Clemson Football’s National Signing Day Show. “He’s played quarterback, tight end, receiver, linebacker, defensive end, he’s played it all. He’s got a great football mind and really understands the game. Incredibly athletic, excellent basketball player, great ball skills and I think has a chance to develop into a really excellent player.”

Josh, like Tigers’ four-star wide receiver signee Adam Randall, had been camping at Clemson for years. He had the opportunity to be coached up by former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott and from that point on, there was mutual interest.

“We needed a tight end in this class and the same thing, this kid came to camp and won us over in camp,” Swinney added. “Tony couldn’t say enough. We really fell in love with Josh Sapp…What a cool, cool thing to be able to see this young man grow up and now have an opportunity to be a Clemson Tiger.”

Josh helped Greenville to a 10-3 record and the final four of the state playoffs, which was his high school’s first appearance in the Upper State title game.

He finally came into his own at the tight end position with an outstanding senior campaign, in which he recorded 50 receptions for 836 yards with 10 touchdowns.

Swinney isn’t the only one excited about what Sapp brings to the table. Newly minted tight ends coach Kyle Richardson gave his stamp of approval for what will be the first new addition to his room.

“Really excited about Josh Sapp here at tight end,” Richardson said via Sapp’s official Clemson bio. “He has great size, can run, catches with his hands and finishes plays. He’s very physical after the catch when you watch his film, it takes more than one defender to bring him down, which is great.”

“He comes from a great family and through his family, he knows that great Clemson football tradition and I can’t wait to see him add to that tradition as a Clemson Tiger.”

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Clemson’s newest on-field assistant will spend bowl season recovering

The recent shakeup to Clemson’s coaching staff includes one staffer’s promotion to an on-field assistant, but his new coaching duties will have to wait until next year. Kyle Richardson was promoted to tight ends coach following Tony Elliott’s …

The recent shakeup to Clemson’s coaching staff includes one staffer’s promotion to an on-field assistant, but his new coaching duties will have to wait until next year.

Kyle Richardson was promoted to tight ends coach following Tony Elliott’s departure for Virginia, where Clemson’s former offensive coordinator is now the head coach. Elliott also coached the tight ends this season, and when Clemson coach Dabo Swinney decided to promote quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter to offensive coordinator, it left the Tigers with one void to fill within the offensive staff.

That’s where Richardson comes in, though Richardson won’t make the trip to Orlando later this month to coach in Clemson’s Cheez-It Bowl matchup with Iowa State. Richardson recently underwent minor back surgery, something Swinney said Richardson would’ve put off until January had he known what was coming.

“He’s chomping at the bit,” Swinney said. “It was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ when I called him.”

Swinney said he and offensive analyst Thomas Austin will share coaching duties for the tight ends in Richardson’s absence. Once Richardson is fully recovered, Clemson will have in place a coach that’s had a hand in helping the offense behind the scenes for the last five seasons.

After a highly successful run as the head coach at Rock Hill’s Northwestern High, where he led the Trojans to three state title game appearances and a pair of state championships in five seasons, Richardson was hired in an off-field role in 2016 because Swinney said he wanted a “high school perspective in our staff room.” Since then, Richardson has held multiple titles, including senior offensive assistant and director of player development.

Swinney said Richardson has turned down opportunities to get on the field sooner as a coordinator or quarterbacks coach at other programs. Now he’s being rewarded for that patience with his chance at Clemson, where he will also serve as the Tigers’ pass-game coordinator.

It will just be delayed a little longer.

“Kyle is so deserving,” Swinney said. “He’s going to do a great job. He’s got great aptitude and acumen for the passing game. Being able to put him in this role is going to help us and make us better.”

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Staff changes were ‘really easy decisions’ for Swinney

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program announced today a number of staff changes, including Wes Goodwin being promoted to defensive coordinator/linebackers coach and adding the role of co-defensive coordinator alongside …

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program announced today a number of staff changes, including Wes Goodwin being promoted to defensive coordinator/linebackers coach and adding the role of co-defensive coordinator alongside safeties coach Mickey Conn.

Cornerbacks coach Mike Reed added the role of special teams coordinator previously held by Conn, while recruiting coordinator/defensive tackles coach Todd Bates has added the title of assistant head coach.

Offensively, the Tigers promoted Brandon Streeter to offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach. Clemson named Kyle Richardson, who had served as director of high school relations and special assistant to the offense, as passing game coordinator/tight ends coach.

“I’ve always taken a lot of pride in developing our players and developing our team, but I also take a lot of pride in developing our staff,” Swinney said in an official release from Clemson Football. “Sometimes it’s not feasible to promote from within, but these were really easy decisions for me, just like it was an easy decision for me in 2014 to name Tony [Elliott] as the play caller and Jeff [Scott] to be a co-coordinator.

“I’m super excited about Wes being the defensive coordinator and Mickey being the co-coordinator, and I’m similarly excited for the opportunity to promote Mike Reed to be the special teams coordinator and Todd Bates to be our assistant head coach to fill that void that Tony left behind. We have a wonderful staff.”

Elliott was named the new head coach at Virginia last week, while former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables became the new head coach at Oklahoma.

“I’m happy for those who have received the opportunity to go be head coaches and some of our younger staff and peripheral staff that may have some opportunities to go with them as well, but those changes create opportunity here,” Swinney said. “And, man, I’m just really, really excited about the people that we have in place.”

Swinney added that, “Moving forward, I am excited and energized by this deserved opportunity for so many members of our staff in new roles. But most of all, I’m happiest for our players. More than anybody, they know what this group of coaches is capable of, and our players’ excitement to see them in these roles has been amazing.”

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Clemson football assistants get new contracts

Some of Clemson’s assistant football coaches are getting new contracts with raises to go with them. As The Clemson Insider previously reported, Mickey Conn and Wesley Goodwin will share the coordination of Clemson’s defense going forward following …

Some of Clemson’s assistant football coaches are getting new contracts with raises to go with them.

As The Clemson Insider previously reported, Mickey Conn and Wesley Goodwin will share the coordination of Clemson’s defense going forward following Brent Venables’ departure. Meanwhile, Brandon Streeter is going to take over for Tony Elliott as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator.

Streeter, Goodwin and Conn have each agreed to new three-year contracts that are set to expire Jan. 31, 2025. Streeter will make $925,000 annually. Goodwin, who will also coach linebackers, will make $850,000 annually while Conn will have an annual salary of $800,000.

The contracts were approved by Clemson’s Board of Trustees Compensation Committee during its meeting Tuesday afternoon.

“I’m just really, really excited about the people that we have in place,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said in an athletic department release. “I’ve always taken a lot of pride in developing our players and developing our team, but I also take a lot of pride in developing our staff.”

Conn, who joined Swinney’s staff as an assistant in 2016, has been coaching Clemson’s safeties since 2017 and will continue doing so, but this is his first time serving in any sort of coordinator role. For Goodwin, who’s worked behind the scenes on the Tigers’ defense as an analyst on and off for the past 13 years, it’s a massive jump to his first-ever on-field coaching job.

Streeter’s promotion is another in-house move by Swinney to replace Elliott, who was hired as the head coach at Virginia last week. Streeter has been on Clemson’s staff since 2015 primarily as the Tigers’ quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator, though he had passing-game coordinator added to his duties before the 2020 season. A former Clemson quarterback, Streeter was an offensive coordinator at Liberty and Richmond before returning to his alma mater.

“Offensively, there’s nobody more deserving than Brandon Streeter,” Swinney said. “Unlike Tony and (former Clemson co-offensive coordinator) Jeff (Scott) in 2014, he’s called a lot of plays in his day. He was a coordinator when I hired him, and he left being a coordinator to come to Clemson. What an amazing job he did with Deshaun Watson, an amazing job he did recruiting and developing Trevor Lawrence and what he’s done from a passing-game standpoint.

“Last year, we passed for more yards per game than any Clemson team ever. He’s just so deserving and so well-prepared. He’s had opportunities to go to the NFL, he’s had multiple opportunities to go be an offensive coordinator in the SEC and elsewhere, but ‘Street’ has stayed here and has been patient knowing an opportunity would come. And that time has come. I’m really excited for him to take the reins and lead us into this bowl game and into the 2022 season.”

Streeter will continue to coach quarterbacks, but Kyle Richardson, who was previously an off-field staffer, will take over passing-game coordinator duties. Richardson, who will make $500,000, is also being promoted to tight ends coach, a vacancy created by the departure of Elliott, who also coached that position this season. Richardson’s contract will through through the end of January 2024.

Those weren’t the only coaches to get promotions.

Defensive tackles coach Todd Bates has added assistant head coach to his title — another void left by Elliott — and will be paid $750,000 annually. Cornerbacks coach Mike Reed will take on the added role of special teams coordinator at $700,000 annually. Their contracts will also run three years through Jan. 31, 2025.

“I’m super excited about Wes being the defensive coordinator and Mickey being the co-coordinator, and I’m similarly excited for the opportunity to promote Mike Reed to be the special teams coordinator and Todd Bates to be our assistant head coach to fill that void that Tony left behind,” Swinney said. “We have a wonderful staff.”

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The Insider Report – Latest on TE coach, official visitors

Each week The Clemson Insider brings you the latest Inside information on the Clemson Tigers in The Insider Report. Who will be the new tight ends coach for the Tigers? Can the Tigers make a late move and close on a DL prospect? Who are some of the …

Each week The Clemson Insider brings you the latest Inside information on the Clemson Tigers in The Insider Report.

Who will be the new tight ends coach for the Tigers?  Can the Tigers make a late move and close on a DL prospect?  Who are some of the top prospects getting school visits from the Tigers’ staff?  All of this and more in this week’s edition of The Insider Report.

If you are not already a Clemson Insider register today for Free and enjoy all of the Insider information on TheClemsonInsider.com.

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