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WATCH: Clemson assistant coach takes part in mat drills

Matt Connollyby:Matt Connolly•02/16/23•

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Nick Eason
Nick Eason took part in mat drills with Clemson players on Thursday. (@ClemsonFB/Twitter)

Clemson assistant Nick Eason is used to putting his defensive tackles through drills. On Thursday, he worked out with them.

Clemson continued mat drills on Thursday and Eason moved into a player role, going through the workout alongside his players.

He spoke about the decision in a video posted by the Clemson Football Twitter page. You can also watch Eason take part in the workout below.

“This whole mat drill process is all about mindset,” Eason said. “I’m not going to ask what drills they are. I don’t ask how many reps we’ve got. I don’t ask about time. Never have. I just go.”

Clemson players weighed in on Eason’s performance throughout the video, including star defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro.

“That’s my coach right there. That’s my coach,” Orhorhoro said as he looked on.

Nick Eason a great recruiter

It’s easy to see from watching the video that Nick Eason’s players love playing for him.

Defensive tackles Ruke Orhorhoro and Tyler Davis could have turned pro and entered the NFL draft but decided to come back to Clemson for one more year. Eason played a significant role in that decision.

The 42-year-old has also established himself as one of the best recruiters in the ACC, if not the country.

Eason was recognized for his recruiting ability earlier this offseason as On3 listed Eason as an assistant coach who made an immediate impact on the recruiting trail for the class of 2023.

The former Clemson star was the primary recruiter for five-star defensive lineman Peter Woods, top-100 prospect Vic Burley and four-star recruit Stephiylan Green. He also helped recruit other members of Clemson’s 2023 defensive line class.

Nick Eason was hired by Swinney in January of 2022 to replace Todd Bates, who left to join Brent Venables at Oklahoma.

Eason’s outgoing personality, as well as personal challenges he has dealt with, have helped him become an excellent recruiter.

He recently received a raise and an extension on his contract. He is scheduled to make $800,000 per year for the next three seasons.

Prior to coming to Clemson, Eason was the defensive tackles coach at Auburn in 2021.

He coached in the NFL before beginning his college coaching career and spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns.

Eason played at Clemson from 1999-2002, starting 35 games and recording 30 tackles for loss and 15 sacks in his college career.

He was drafted by the Broncos in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL draft and spent 10 seasons playing in the NFL.