Clemson football: Dabo Swinney announces staff changes

Clemson has parted ways with two key members of their staff.

CLEMSON, S.C. — Head Coach Dabo Swinney announced today that Lemanski Hall and Thomas Austin will not return to Clemson's coaching staff in 2024. Full statements on the personnel changes effective this week are included below.

STATEMENT FROM DABO SWINNEY ON LEMANSKI HALL:
“Lemanski Hall and I met and had a great conversation about his future and long-term goals both personally and professionally, and after great thought and discussion, we came to a mutual decision for him to seek opportunities to advance his career elsewhere.

“I am so thankful for Ski and his wife, Leslie, and their family. Lemanski and I have been almost lifelong friends back to 1989 and he is someone I love like a brother. I’m appreciative and thankful for the impact he has had here at Clemson.

“Since joining our program as an analyst in 2015, he has been part of six College Football Playoff teams, seven ACC title teams, four national championship game appearances and two national titles. Since becoming an on-field coach in 2018, he has coached and recruited great players like Clelin Ferrell, Austin Bryant, Myles Murphy and so many others, and I am proud of the work he did in developing potential Freshman All-American T.J. Parker this year.

“I am grateful for both his impact here and for his friendship, and I wish him nothing but the best with his next endeavor.”

STATEMENT FROM LEMANSKI HALL:
“I am so grateful and thankful for the opportunity that Clemson has given me over the past nine years.

"Clemson has been so good to me and my family, and my wife and I want to thank the entire Clemson Family for being such a blessing in our lives. I also want to especially thank Coach Swinney and his wife, Kathleen, for welcoming us the way they have for almost a decade. I similarly want to thank Graham Neff, President Clements and the Board of Trustees for their faith in me representing this university for so many years.

"I am incredibly proud of what we have been able to accomplish here. I am so thankful for all of the young men that have been in our program, and I hope I’ve been able to impact them as positively as they have impacted me. I am excited to see what God has in store for me and my family moving forward.”

STATEMENT FROM DABO SWINNEY ON THOMAS AUSTIN:
“Today, I made the difficult decision to seek new leadership for the offensive line. It is my responsibility as head coach to make difficult decisions that I believe are in the best interest of our football program and the young men that comprise it. After a few days of deep thought and evaluation, I believe this was a change we needed to make.

“I love Thomas and his entire family, and Thomas has been a great representative of Clemson University and Clemson Football in every role — as a player, as a support staff member and as a coach. On the field, he was one of the best Tigers we’ve had, and his role as a captain and as a great leader is immortalized in concrete at Tiger Walk outside Memorial Stadium. I know God has a great plan for his future.

“I’m incredibly excited about our group of offensive linemen which could have seven players who have started significant time for us, and I look forward to seeing them continue their growth.”