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FOOTBALL SUPPORT STAFF
THOMAS AUSTIN
GRADUATE ASSISTANT 1st SEASON AT CLEMSON CLEMSON ‘09 Thomas Austin is in his first year as a graduate assistant coach with the Clemson offense. He has a long relationship with the program, however, as he was a letterman as an offensive guard with the Tigers between 2006-09. Austin was a third-team All-American according to The Sporting News in 2009. He was a two-time second-team All-ACC selection (2008 and 2009). His senior year he created many holes for All-American running back C.J. Spiller. They combined to help Clemson to the Atlantic Division Championship of the ACC and a top 25 finish. Austin had 112 knockdown blocks as a senior and 316 for his career. He started each of his last 38 games and had 39 starts overall. He played in 48 games in his four years with the varsity, and was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week five times. Three times he won the honor in 2008, the most by a Clemson offensive lineman in 18 years. Austin signed as a free agent with the New England Patriots in 2010. He played in the NFL with the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts between 2010 and 2013. Austin earned his degree from Clemson in 2009.
DANIEL BASSETT DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL PROGRAMS 7TH SEASON AT CLEMSON TENNESSEE ‘01 Daniel Bassett is in his seventh year as director of football programs. He is in charge of on-campus meals and housing, maintaining the recruiting database and community outreach. Prior to being hired as director of football programs in 2008, he was a student volunteer and later in office administration (2003-05). He received his undergraduate degree in broadcasting from Tennessee in 2001. He then earned his master’s degree in professional communication from Clemson in 2005. Bassett, a native of Birmingham, Ala., was born on Nov. 23, 1978.
JEFF DAVIS ASSISTANT AD • FOOTBALL PLAYER RELATIONS 12TH SEASON AT CLEMSON CLEMSON ‘84 Jeff Davis is in his seventh year as assistant athletic director for football player relations within the Clemson football program, but has been with the University for 15 years. During the six years prior to his current position, he served as an assistant athletic director for fundraising, where he helped raise funds for the WestZone Club at Memorial Stadium. He also served as the primary spokesman for Clemson University’s Call Me Mister Program and served as director from 1999-03. Davis was an All-America linebacker from 1978-81 who captained the Tigers during their 1981 National Championship run. “The Judge” registered a then-Tiger-record 175 tackles in 1981. That same season, he became just the third defensive player in ACC history to be named league MVP. Davis had 14 tackles as Clemson topped Nebraska 22-15 in the 1982 Orange Bowl to claim its first national title. In 1995, he became the fourth member of the Clemson Ring of Honor, then he was named to Clemson’s Centennial Team in 1996. In 2002, he was named to the ACC’s 50Year Anniversary team.
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2015 FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
In 2007, Davis was accorded the highest honor attainable for a college player when he was inducted into the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame. He has made a name for himself outside of the Clemson community. A fifth-round draft pick by Tampa Bay in 1982, he played six seasons in the NFL. During his time as a professional, he also completed his remaining coursework and graduated from Clemson in 1984. In 1999, he returned to Clemson as field director of Call Me Mister. It seeks to recruit, train, certify and secure employment for African-American males as elementary teachers in the state’s public schools. In 2001, he was awarded $100,000 for the program from Oprah Winfrey’s “Angel Network.” Davis is the president of Goal Line Stand, which supports young people as adults as they seek to remain committed to values that shape and govern their lives. The ordained pastor lives in Clemson with his wife, Joni, and their six children. His twin sons, J.D. and Judah, are members of the 2015 Tiger football team.
MIKE DOOLEY DIRECTOR OF HS RELATIONS & PLAYER PERSONNEL 11TH SEASON AT CLEMSON FURMAN ‘98 Mike Dooley is in his 11th year with the Tiger football program and serves as director of high school relations & player personnel. He is responsible for maintaining and improving relationships between high school coaches and Clemson, and also coordinates road trips. He served two years (2005,06) as a video graduate assistant (defense) and two years (2007,08) as a graduate assistant coach (offense) at Clemson. He also served as interim tight ends coach in 2008. Dooley worked as an assistant coach at Greenville (S.C.) High School from 1998-04 before coming to Clemson. His responsibilities included defensive coordinator from 200004 and assistant head coach in 2004. In his last three years, Greenville High had a 33-4 overall record, including a 12-1 mark in 2003. Dooley, a native of Toccoa, Ga., lettered as a defensive end at Furman from 1993-95 and had a sack at Clemson in 1994. He was also an academic honor roll member and received his degree in health & exercise science from Furman in 1998. He is married to the former Allison Woodlee, a 2003 graduate of Clemson.
TODD GREEN DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL COACHING TECHNOLOGY 2nd SEASON AT CLEMSON TENNESSEE ‘02 Todd Green is in his second season as Director of Football Coaching Technology. He oversees all aspects of coaching video and the technology associated with its production. He also is responsible for highlight films throughout the season. Green came to Clemson after serving five years as the video coordinator at Navy (2009-14). He contributed to a Navy program that went to a bowl game each season. He has been involved in the video aspect of college football for 12 years. Prior to his stint at Navy he worked as an assistant video coordinator at Arkansas in 2008, was an assistant video coordinator at South Carolina from 200406 and was a video graduate assistant at The Citadel from 2003-04. Green also has three years of experience in coaching and teaching. He was an assistant coach at Bishop England High School in Charleston for the 2002-03 academic year and was a teacher and coach at First Baptist Church School of Charleston, S.C., from 2006-08. Green married his wife Lauren in July 2014 and they are expecting their first child during the 2015 football season.
TYLER GRISHAM GRADUATE ASSISTANT 2nd SEASON AT CLEMSON CLEMSON ‘09
Tyler Grisham is in his second year as a graduate assistant, but he is no stranger to Clemson, as he was a four-year letterman for the Tigers during the 2005-08 seasons. He finished his career with 132 receptions for 1,390 yards and eight touchdowns. Grisham signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent in 2009 and played for the Steelers that year. He was on the Steelers’ practice squad in 2010 and 2011, and with the Denver Broncos’ practice squad in 2012.
LEMANSKI HALL DEFENSIVE ANALYST/RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT 1ST SEASON AT CLEMSON ALABAMA ‘93 Lemanski Hall is in his first year as Defensive Analyst/Research Development. He came to Clemson in 2015 after seven years as a linebackers coach and fitness instructor at Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tenn. Hall’s relationship with Head Coach Dabo Swinney dates to their college careers at the University of Alabama. Both were members of the 1992 National Championship Alabama team. Hall was a team captain in 1992 and was named first-team All-SEC. He was a UPI Honorable Mention All-America team and was named to the Alabama AllDecade team for the 1990s. Hall was drafted by the Houston Oilers and also played in the NFL for the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. He played nine seasons in the NFL overall. Lemanski worked in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans through the NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship. In this role he observed NFL coaches and worked with them to evaluate players. Hall worked as a recruiting coordinator and pro-performance director at D1 Sports Training and Therapy. He also coached football and served as the strength and conditioning coach at Christ Presbyterian Academy before moving on to his career at Ensworth High.
BRANDON McCOMBS SPECIAL TEAMS ANALYST/RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT 6TH SEASON AT CLEMSON CLEMSON ‘09 Brandon McCombs is in his sixth year at Clemson and his third under the position special teams analyst/ research development. He works with kickers and had a positive effect on the performance of Chandler Catanzaro, one of the most accurate kickers in Tiger history. Catanzaro made 39 of his last 41 field-goal attempts and scored 404 points, second-most in ACC history. Catanzaro made the NFL All-Rookie Team in 2014. McCombs began his career working as a student assistant at Clemson in 2009 and was a player development coach in the strength training room from 2010-12. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sport management from Clemson in 2009. The native of Easley, S.C. is single.