Coaching Spotlight: Kyle Richardson Gets Rewarded for Staying Patient at Clemson

This is not the first season that Kyle Richardson will impact the Clemson football program.

© Ken Ruinard / staff, Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY NETWORK

This is not the first season that Kyle Richardson will impact the Clemson football program. 

Much like new defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin, Richardson has worked tirelessly behind the scenes on Dabo Swinney's coaching staff for years. In 2022, though, he'll be on the field for the first full season as Clemson's tight ends coach/passing game coordinator.

"This is a great next step for him," Swinney said last December when Richardson was promoted from his analyst role. "He’s done a lot of different things within our program in support staff roles, and I’m just really excited to see him have this opportunity."

Richardson's resume

After earning his undergraduate degree from Appalachian State, Richardson got his coaching career off the ground as an assistant at North Gwinnett High School in Georgia. He also worked at Lee County and Avery County in North Carolina before joining the staff at Northwestern High School in South Carolina.

Richardson was the offensive coordinator from 2007-2015 before becoming the head coach. During his time there, the Trojans won three state championships and had two perfect seasons. Two of the titles came with Richardson as head coach, compiling a 58-13 record, and he was later inducted into the York County Hall of Fame. 

During his time at Northwestern, he coached Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and Atlanta Falcons receiver/running back Cordarrelle Patterson. His success at the high school level caught the eye of Swinney, who hired Richardson along with Mickey Conn in 2015.

Richardson worked as the senior offensive analyst alongside new offensive coordinator and long-time quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter. The coaching duo helped develop Deshaun Watson, who won a national title with the Tigers and was a first-round selection in the 2016 NFL Draft. 

Richardson also helped coach Trevor Lawrence, who won also won a national championship and went on to be the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. 

Richardson also served as Director of Player Development and Freshman Transition. His seventh season will be his first as an on-field coach as he was hired after Tony Elliott left as the offensive coordinator to become the head coach at Virginia. 

"Kyle was one of the best high school coaches in the entire Southeast," Swinney said. "Talk about a guy that’s been patient. I hired him, I think he was coming off his third straight state championship appearance, and the same thing as Streeter: he’s had opportunities and he’s stayed here for a chance to coach at Clemson."

Richardson's job duties

As tight ends coach, Richardson inherits talent from Elliott's former room. The Tigers bring back veteran leader Davis Allen, who finished fifth on the team with 208 yards on 28 receptions last year. Sage Ennis and Jake Briningstool, one of the top tight ends in the 2021 recruiting class, should develop into productive players in 2022. 

Richardson will also be asked to bring fresh ideas to the passing game as the coordinator. A role previously held by Streeter, Richardson will be tasked with creating passing plays for Streeter to call during games. The Tigers are coming off a lackluster passing season in 2021, and Richardson will look to add new routes and concepts to reignite what's traditionally been a position of strength under Swinney. 

"He is one of the brightest and most well-prepared guys that we have to step into this role and be the tight ends coach and passing game coordinator," Swinney said. "He has got a great acumen for football." 

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