When Dabo Swinney was a Clemson assistant, he managed to land a highly-touted playmaker out of Florida named CJ Spiller. In 2009, when Swinney had taken over the program, Spiller would finish that year sixth in the Heisman Trophy race and he was named the ACC Player of the Year after recorded 2,680 all-purpose yards - an ACC single-season record. He would spark Clemson to make its first appearance in the ACC Championship game.
Now one of the greatest running backs in the history of the program has returned to help out his former coach.
Spiller has joined the Clemson coaching staff as an unpaid graduate assistant and will work with the running backs. He earned his undergraduate degree in 2009, the first member of his family to receive a four-year college degree.
The ninth overall pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 2010 NFL Draft, Spiller spent eight years in the NFL. The first five were with the Bills and that was followed by stops with the Saints, Seahawks, Jets and Chiefs. His NFL career spanned eight seasons from 2010-2017.
Spiller will be enshrined in the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame and the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame later this year.
