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Report: Clemson set to add former East Carolina head coach Mike Houston to defensive staff

FaceProfileby:Thomas Goldkamp•02/10/25
Mike Houston
Sep 14, 2024; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; East Carolina Pirates head coach Mike Houston looks on against the Appalachian State Mountaineers during the first half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images

Former East Carolina head coach Mike Houston has reportedly found a new landing spot, this time on the staff at Clemson.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Monday that Houston is set to work with the defensive staff for the Tigers, joining Dabo Swinney‘s well-run operation. He should be able to provide some veteran insight and coaching ability.

Mike Houston was most recently at East Carolina, where he served as the program’s head coach from 2019-24. He went just 27-38 in his tenure there, including 15-28 in conference play.

That stint obviously wasn’t quite as successful as some of his other stops.

Houston won an FCS national title as the head coach at James Madison in 2016. In three years with the Dukes from 2016-18, Mike Houston went 37-6 overall and 22-2 in conference play.

Prior to his stint at James Madison, Houston was the head coach at The Citadel from 2014-15. He went 5-7 in his first season in charge, then improved the program to 9-4 in his second season.

Clemson adds Mike Houston, key off-field assistant

In addition to the reportedly pending Mike Houston hire, Clemson has also hired a vital new off-the-field assistant. The Tigers have hired Kevin Kelly from the LA Chargers as their new Director of Player Evaluation and Acquisition, they announced on Friday.

Kelly is joining the Clemson program after working as a talent evaluator in the NFL for more than 20 years.

Kelly spent the past 12 seasons with the Chargers, serving as Senior Director of College Scouting for 11 of those years, before moving into a role as Senior Scouting Executive in 2024.

“I’m super excited to have Kevin Kelly joining our staff,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said in a statement. “To be able to add someone with his experience is a great benefit to Clemson. He’s got over 20 years of front office experience in scouting and evaluation of player personnel, so he will bring a wealth of experience and be able to work alongside General Manager Jordan Sorrells, Director of Recruiting Ty Clements and the rest of our staff on player acquisition, evaluation and retention.”

On3’s Matt Connolly also contributed to this report.