Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney’s defensive line has taken a big hit. For the second time in less than a week, he lost one of his defensive coaches. This time it was defensive ends coach Marion Hobby.
Dan Brooks, who coached the defensive tackles the last eight years at Clemson, officially announced his retirement from coaching earlier on Wednesday.
Hobby will leave Clemson for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, where he will coach their defensive line. The Jaguars’ official site announced Hobby’s hiring on Wednesday.
“Marion Hobby is an excellent coach who breeds success and comes from a winning culture,” Jacksonville’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tom Coughlin said in a statement. “In recent years, Marion has overseen the development of top-tier players who are currently experiencing success at the highest level in the National Football League. His coaching prowess and ability to maximize his players’ abilities will bode very well for our organization.”
This will be the second stint for Hobby in the NFL. After coaching Tommy Bowden’s defensive line in 2005, he left the following year for the New Orleans Saints where he coached for two seasons. At New Orleans, Hobby coached with Jaguars’ head coach Doug Marrone.
Since 2012, Swinney has had to replace just two coaches prior to Brooks retirement. Former defensive backs coach Charlie Harbison left after the 2012 season and former offensive coordinator Chad Morris left for the SMU job following the 2014 season.
After Hobby left the Saints, he coached the defensive line and was defensive coordinator at Duke for three years before joining Swinney’s staff in 2011. Hobby has also served as Clemson’s co-defensive coordinator.
With Brooks coaching the defensive tackles and Hobby the ends, Clemson became one of the premiere defensive fronts in the country. Hobby developed guys like Vic Beasley and Shaq Lawson into first-round draft picks as well as Kevin Dodd who was the first pick in the second-round of last year’s draft.
Clemson has led the nation in tackles for loss in each of the last four seasons and a big part was due to Hobby’s defensive ends. In 2015, Lawson was responsible for 25.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks, while Dodd had 23.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. They both ranked No. 1 and No. 2 nationally in tackles for loss.
Beasley set the career record with 33 sacks at Clemson and was a two-time First-Team All-American. He was also the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2014.
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