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Head coaches will often live and die by their assistants. Former Clemson head coach Tommy West was one of the ones who fell victim to the latter, as the current Memphis head coach had a top-heavy staff which had problems getting top prospects to visit, let alone difficulty controlling the state.

Bowden's current staff is his strongest to date. Though the 50-year old head coach did not look outside of the program to backfill the offensive coordinator position after the departure of Rich Rodriguez in 2000, he did so with the acquisition of Rob Spence this off-season, a perfectionist and an innovator in his own right. Bowden's other top notable loss, wide receivers coach Rick Stockstill, was immediately and successfully replaced with the hiring of Dabo Swinney in the off-season leading up to the 2003 campaign. Swinney, since that time, has signed a whopping 18 prospects, and has proven to be a talented coach, despite working the private sector for two years prior to taking the post at Clemson.

Now in his seventh year at Clemson and ninth overall under Bowden. Possesses strong ties to the state of Louisiana, his native state, though his role in recruiting the state has now been diminished due to a change of strategy over the last couple of years. Louisiana is merely a spot-recruiting marker for Clemson. Burns also has strong ties to the Greater Atlanta, Ga. area. Sells the program well. Extremely personable. Great personality and character. Excellent in in-home visits. Loyal to Bowden. Excellent evaluation skills. Usually has no problems getting prospects on campus either for unofficial or official visits. Probably more thorough in recruiting between October and February. Very good position coach. Excellent communicator. Probably should be given more pub for what he has done in recruiting the last six and a half years.

A long-time friend of the Bowden regime dating back to his days as an assistant under Bobby Bowden at Florida State. Tremendous X's & O's coach. Highly detail oriented. Very observant. Possibly the most thorough of any Clemson recruiter. Never leaves a stone unturned. As good as it gets in the home. Honest. Tremendous communication skills. Excellent organizational skills. Has really one speed in recruiting - 100 mph, and has never lost a prospect in recruiting because of lack of effort. Probably should have a larger recruiting territory, as it would benefit the staff if he were on more prospects. Has relinquished some of his responsibilities in-state to Burns, at least where it pertains to the Greater Columbia area. Has very strong ties to Florida, his native state, particularly central and East central Florida.

Highly intelligent individual. Great student of the game. Detail oriented. A perfectionist. Tremendous work ethic. Probably has kept the offensive staff in meetings to a point where it has deterred evaluation time in recruiting. Moving forward he will likely be more cognizant of the ENORMOUS importance of acquisition of talent and the vital role spring evaluation plays in getting a leg up on building an accurate and workable recruiting board, an adjustment he will make successfully at Clemson after having worked in a smaller arena at Toledo in each of the last four years, a situation where significantly less first-tier prospects are signed with regularity. Employs an offense very difficult to prepare for because of its diversity and or multiple looks. Very observant on the practice fields, and usually spots mistakes by multiple players quickly. Should be highly successful at Clemson.

Voted by Rivals.com in February as one of the nation's top 25 recruiters and deservedly so. Probably the nicest Clemson assistant one would ever meet. Great personality. Tremendous work ethic. Outstanding character. Has never had a problem getting prospects on campus. Thorough 365 days a year. Relentless. Takes great pride in having success in recruiting. Recruiting accolades and signing a whopping 18 prospects over the last two years has probably overshadowed the fact that he is a talented coach, as well. Has DEEP ties to his native state of Alabama. Starting to build a strong rapport with high school coaches in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina. Is probably carrying too much territory in North-Northeast Florida. Heavily, heavily spread out. VASTLY UNDERPAID. APPALLING that he went into spring workouts as the second lowest paid assistant on the staff.

A brother-in-law of Tommy Bowden. Is married to Bowden's sister Robyn. Bowden has referred to Hines as his most versatile assistant coach. Since arriving at Clemson in December of 1998 Hines has coached defensive backs, special teams, linebackers and tight ends. Has not had success in recruiting while at Clemson, and does carry a much smaller recruiting territory than the other assistants. Probably underrated to some degree as a coach, and does have a good attitude. Flexible, and can get along well with many different personalities. More studious and reserved, and not one of the more outgoing coaches on the staff. Like most coaches on the staff, Hines, spanning both the prep and collegiate ranks, is seasoned, and now has over 30 years of experience in the profession, which should be noted. Has recruiting territory in Alabama, North Carolina and Florida.

Hobby, a former NFL defensive lineman, is a very physically imposing figure, standing in at over 6-foot-5, weighing over 280. Great attitude, and eager to hit the ground running in recruiting. Has ties to Western North Carolina where he has recruiting territory, a region for him that expands to North and North Central North Carolina. Also works an area of Alabama and Florida. Enjoys recruiting. The least experienced of all the coaches on the staff, but built a strong rep while serving at Ole Miss in each of the last six seasons. Communicates well with his players. Should have no problems selling the program to high school coaches and prospects. Already this spring high school coaches within his recruiting area have commented positively on his character, mannerisms and attitude.

Will always be a fan favorite because he is a Greenville native and a lifelong Clemson fan. Has DEEP ties to the program. (Former Clemson head coach Danny Ford was a pallbearer at Blackwell's father's funeral many years ago). Very loyal to Bowden. Innovative, has fresh ideas, great work ethic. Outstanding coach. Hard-worker in recruiting, and has taken on SIGNIFICANTLY more responsibility this season, which includes the state of Virginia. Has territory in Upstate South Carolina and South Florida, as well. Made a conscious effort to get back into South Florida last season, and it paid off with two major acquisitions (Chancellor bros.). Has spot-recruiting responsibilities. Very passionate about the program. Strong organizational skills. Not an offer-happy coordinator, and will take time and research prospects to the fullest before pulling the trigger on extending an offer. UNDERPAID.

Highly underrated as a recruiter. Works as hard as anyone in recruiting, and has put Clemson on a lot of great prospects. The tough-luck loser on a lot of prospects in 2002-03, and finished second on several targets during that stretch, but has always rebounded well. Thorough. A Clemson graduate, which resonates well with prospects when selling the program. Publicly states that he does not miss coaching the offensive line, where he resided from 1997-2003 under Bowden. Has had success coaching defense in the past, and will continue that trend in his current role working with bandits and the SAM linebacker positions. Nicknamed Big Daddy. Recruiting area includes lower central South Carolina, a heavy portion (geographically) of Georgia, and recruits in South Florida, as well. Can frequently be seen out dining and enjoying the Clemson area.

A no-nonsense individual who's not afraid to speak his mind, as evidenced by past interviews with Tigerillustrated.com. Has a strong work ethic, and brings new ideas to the table. Loves recruiting, and did not shy away from requesting territory when assignments were designated earlier this spring. Actually sets aside time for his defensive assistants so that recruiting in specific is addressed. Joins defensive staff in actually writing letters to prospects during meetings at times. Wants to make a big commitment towards addressing depth at defensive end, linebacker and safety in recruiting this season. Has recruiting responsibilities in Georgia, Florida and South Alabama. Nice guy, but tough and assertive with players when he has to be. Should have success both as a recruiter and as a coach while at Clemson.

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