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When Dabo Swinney locked up the head-coaching job with a win over South Carolina in November of 2008, Thomas Austin was one of the players that carried him to midfield in the giddy celebration.

Swinney fired Austin last December after a four-loss regular season.

There are layers to this parting that aren't present in most other firings.

Austin and his wife are both Clemson alums, and they have chosen to remain in Clemson because their children are in school.

Austin, who coached offensive line for the Tigers in 2022 and 2023, joins Tigerillustrated.com today to reflect on what it was like to suddenly find himself without a job.

He also gives an inside look into what it's like for an assistant coach to navigate the chaotic world of the transfer portal and NIL.

Said Austin: "I was told by a parent when a kid committed to another school that his son was offered $150,000 a year to go to this school -- which is illegal, because you're not allowed to give them a number because it's a recruiting inducement. The father said: 'I'm going to let my son live off a third of that, and then I'm going to take the other two-thirds and invest it for him by putting it into an account. And if he makes it into the NFL, great. If he doesn't, he's going to have no student loans, his college is going to be paid for from a great university, and he's going to have a couple-hundred thousand dollars in a savings account waiting for him when he starts his life.'

"And I'm like: 'You know what? That makes sense to me. Take it.' Like, what do you say to that?

OUR INTERVIEW WITH THOMAS AUSTIN (For subscribers-only)

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