Brownell loses another assistant to a head coaching job

For the fourth time since Brad Brownell took the Clemson job, an assistant coach has landed a head job. Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, College of Charleston, and now Nichols State have plucked the top (or projected to be top) recruiter on the Tiger staff. Richie Riley was tapped by Coach Brownell out of UAB mainly for his recruiting prowess and he had done a good job luring key transfers and getting Clemson in the mix for some nice players going forward. It is a compliment to Coach Brownell that so many of his staffers have landed head jobs after working for him. That should help draw a very good replacement for Coach Riley as the hunt will no doubt be for a younger guy with a passion for recruiting. The down side is the potential lost momentum on prospects for whom Riley was the primary recruiter. The spring/summer is the big recruiting season so look for the position to fill pretty quickly since the AAU tournaments are already in full swing.

The good news is Coach Brownell should have an easier time getting a top young gun to Clemson with the enhanced ACC and new facilities. There is always hope he strikes serious gold like Oliver Purnell did with Shaka Smart. Congratulations to Coach Riley on landing this job.