It's not very often you see a coach move from serving as an analyst one day and into his very first role as a coordinator the next.
That is exactly what happened with Wes Goodwin, though. After serving as Brent Venables' righthand man since 2018, Goodwin was named his successor after Venables left to take the head coaching job at Oklahoma.
It was a change that players embraced, as Goodwin has always been thought of as one of the brightest defensive minds on the staff. However, there were some questions about how Goodwin's demeanor would evolve, but for veteran corner Sheridan Jones, those questions were quickly answered.
"I definitely was like 'wow, Wes is about to be the DC, alright, let's see,'" Jones said. "I think it was the first week in fall camp, he yelled at me for the first time. I was like "oh, yeah, I like it.'"
While Goodwin isn't perceived as the fiery, in-your-face type of defensive coordinator that Venables was, Jones revealed that Clemson's first-year defensive coordinator isn't as soft-spoken as he appears.
"I will tell you he's a little meaner," Jones said. "He has to, being a defensive coordinator now. Didn't really hear him yell in the past couple of years but he's yelling now. It's good to see that side of him too. Real aggressive guy. You want to say he looks a little soft spoken but he'll get into you, he'll let you know."
Goodwin has always been highly thought of by the players, as he has been a vital piece of the success the Tigers have experienced on the defensive side of the ball in recent seasons
"He was definitely well respected. We all knew like 'oh, yeah, Wes knows exactly what he's talking about.' Even when Coach V was here, Wes was that guy that was right behind him. Coach V used to ask Wes 'what do you think about this?' We all knew Wes knew what he was doing."
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While Goodwin may be much different than Venables, at the end of the day, it's the results that count. Through seven games, Clemson remains unbeaten. The Tigers are ranked fourth in the nation in rush defense, allowing just 2.78 YPC, and eighth in tackles for loss with 8.1 per game.
No. 4 Clemson (7-0, 5-0 ACC) opened Sunday as a 13.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, in Saturday's noon game against No. 18 Syracuse (6-0, 3-0).
Jones noted that Goodwin has also excelled at getting input from the players on the field, something everyone on the defensive side of the ball has responded to in a big way.
"I love where he puts it in the right position to make plays," Jones said. "He's a really good guy. Asks us what we see. It's really personal with him. So that allows us to really go out there and play for him with that strong connection. That's good for the defense, good for everybody."
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"soft" - Google News
October 19, 2022 at 06:10AM
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Soft Spoken Wes Goodwin Is 'Yelling Now' - Sports Illustrated
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