Former Tiger Officially Hired as Clemson’s New DT Coach

Eason is Coming Home, Brings a Ton of Experience With Him

CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson University’s Board of Trustees' Compensation Committee approved Nick Eason as the Tigers’ new defensive tackles coach on Dabo Swinney’s staff.

The BOT met Friday morning in a called meeting to officially hire Eason, who was a First-Team All-ACC defensive lineman at Clemson in 2002. The former Tiger replaces Todd Bates on Swinney’s football staff after Bates bolted for Oklahoma earlier this week.

Eason will make $750,000 annually for the next three seasons as Swinney's defensive running game coordinator and defensive tackles coach.

Eason brings a lot of experience to the Tigers’ coaching staff. He spent 17 years, as a player and as a coach, in the NFL.

He spent last season at Auburn, where he coached the defensive line. He helped the SEC Tigers rank sixth in the SEC against the run in 2021, allowing just 126.9 yards per game. Auburn allowed just 3.5 yards per carry, which ranked third in the conference behind Alabama and Georgia.

Auburn also ranked fourth in the SEC and 17th nationally in tackles for loss with 96. Eason coached rush end Derick Hall to second team All-SEC honors in 2021. The junior tallied nine of the Tigers’ 36 sacks and had 12.5 tackles for loss. He led the Tigers in both categories.

Hall’s nine sacks tied for third in the SEC.

Before coming to Auburn, Eason spent seven years coaching in the NFL and one year at Austin Peay, following a long-playing career in the league.

In 2019-’20, Eason was the defensive line coach for the Cincinnati Bengals. Under Eason’s guidance, defensive tackle Geno Atkins earned his eighth Pro Bowl nomination in 2019.

Eason spent 2014-’17 with the Tennessee Titans, serving his first two seasons as assistant defensive line coach before moving up to the defensive line coach role for his final two years. In his two seasons as Tennessee’s defensive line coach, Eason’s units played a central role on a Titans defenses that ranked among the best in the NFL against the run.

Tennessee’s defensive line was led by star defensive tackle Jurrell Casey, who in his two seasons under Eason totaled 11 sacks, 37 quarterback hits and earned two Pro Bowl nominations. In 2017, Tennessee’s defensive line ranked fourth in the NFL against the run, allowing an average of just 88.8 yards per game.

In 2016, Eason’s first as defensive line coach, the Titans allowed just 88.3 rushing yards per game, and their No. 2 ranking against the run was the team’s highest in 14 seasons.

In 2015, Eason helped guide Casey to a team-high seven sacks, 28 quarterback pressures and his first-career Pro Bowl invite. Eason also aided in the development of defensive end DaQuan Jones and nose tackle Al Woods, who both emerged as quality starters and matched or bettered their career-best numbers in all categories.

In 2014, Eason’s first as a full-time NFL coach, he helped oversee Tennessee’s defensive transition from a 4-3 to a 3-4 front. He also helped Casey continue his ascent into one of the NFL’s best interior defensive linemen, as he posted 86 tackles, including 13 for losses, and 27 quarterback pressures. Eason also guided nose tackle Sammie Hill to career-highs in tackles (47), sacks (3.0), tackles for losses (7) and quarterback pressures (8).

Eason’s first coaching assignment after his playing days came in 2013, when he was an intern coach with the Cleveland Browns.

The former Clemson standout was drafted in the fourth round (114th pick) by the Denver Broncos in the 2003 NFL Draft. As a player, Eason saw action in 117 games over 10 seasons (2003-’12) with the Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals.

Eason finished his playing career with the Cardinals, where he spent two seasons (2011-’12) and appeared in 32 games, while registering two sacks.

Prior to his time with Arizona, Eason spent four seasons (2007-10) with the Steelers and helped guide the Steelers to two Super Bowl appearances, including a victory in Super Bowl XLIII in the ’08 season. He played a big role on a Pittsburgh defense that was considered one of the best in the history of the NFL.

Though he was drafted by the Broncos, Eason spent his rookie season on the reserve/injured list after suffering an Achilles injury during training camp. The following season, he reemerged on the Broncos’ active roster before being waived and signed by the Browns, with whom he played for three seasons (2004-’06).

A native of Lyons, Georgia, Eason played college football at Clemson, where he starred on the defensive line and became the first football player in school history to graduate with two years of eligibility remaining, earning his degree in sociology in August 2001. In 2008, he earned his master’s degree in human resources.

Eason played in 47 games with 35 starts for the Tigers and recorded 15 sacks and 30 tackles for losses. A two-time team captain his junior and senior seasons, he earned first-team All-ACC honors as a senior defensive tackle.

--Auburn Athletic Communications contributed to this story