The Board of Trustees met on Monday morning and approved the hiring of two new Clemson assistant football coaches to Dabo Swinney’s staff.
Former Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke has been hired to coach the Tigers’ offensive line, and former Clemson assistant and South Carolina native Chris Rumph will replace Lemanski Hall and coach defensive ends.
With the approval of the board, Luke and Rumph became two of the highest-paid assistant coaches in the country. Luke, who is widely credited as being an offensive line guru, has coached at the University of Georgia where he helped mold the Bulldogs’ line into one of the country’s dominant units. He will earn $975,000 during the 2024 season, and subsequently be paid $1.1 million and $1.2 million in 2025 and 2026 respectively as part of a three-year contract.
Chris Rumph, meanwhile, also signed a three-year deal. He will earn $950,000 in 2024, with that salary increasing to $1 million in 2025 and $1.1 million in 2026. Rumph previously coached at Clemson from 2006-2010 before stints at Alabama, Florida, and Tennesse, as well as NFL coaching experience, most recently with the Minnesota Vikings.
“My family and I are incredibly excited about this opportunity,” said Luke. “I have always had tremendous admiration for Dabo as a man, as a coach, and as a leader, and I am excited for the opportunity to help him win another national championship at Clemson.”
Matt Luke
In a separate news release, Rumph expressed his happiness at returning to his roots and to the place where his career truly got off the ground. He sees great opportunity in the future of Clemson football as well.
“For me, this is coming home,” he said. “Clemson is a great fit for me and my family in terms of the town and the quality of people. The passion of the fan base is second to none. Clemson is a program that has won consistently and won at the highest level under Coach Swinney. I am excited to do my part to return the program where it aspires to be and once again have Clemson in the College Football Play-off and competing for national championships year in and year out.”
Chris Rumph
Coach Swinney is certainly happy to have Luke and Rumph on board and feels their wealth of knowledge and experience are just what the Tigers need as they look to return to the top of college football.
“Matt is exactly what we needed with this hire,” Swinney said. “He brings and incredible resume and a wealth of experience and has worked with a bunch of great coaches and players over his career. Chris really fits what I was looking for in this hire. I wanted someone with NFL experience and he certainly brings that. And I was looking for the right recruiting fit as someone who grew up in this state and played in this state.”
Dabo Swinney
