Legendary former Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware, now the Tigers’ linebackers coach, appeared on the latest episode of Clemson Football’s official podcast, 2 Right Turns.
In a segment of the episode, Boulware fielded a mailbag question from a fan who wanted to know, does Boulware have a favorite teammate that he played with at Clemson and what made them special?
Boulware didn’t hesitate when answering, and he doesn’t have one favorite former teammate – he has a couple of them – three-time All-American/three-time All-ACC defensive lineman Christian Wilkins, and two-time All-ACC center Jay Guillermo.
“For sure. Christian Wilkins and Jay Guillermo. Mainly because they’re just weird. Christian Wilkins and Jay Guillermo were that to a T,” Boulware joked. “But they were just good dudes. Obviously incredible athletes. Super successful at Clemson.”
Boulware played with Guillermo for four years from 2013-16, while Boulware suited up with Wilkins for two seasons from 2015-16. Of course, together, they helped lead the Tigers to the 2016 national championship, defeating Alabama, 35-31, to claim Clemson’s first national title in 35 years.
After winning another national title in 2018, Wilkins went on to be drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the first round (13th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. He spent his first five seasons with the Dolphins before signing a mega free agent deal with the Las Vegas Raiders prior to the 2024 season.
Guillermo is now an offensive line coach at Navy after joining the Midshipmen coaching staff from Mercer in January 2024. Guillermo was hired at Mercer at the conclusion of the 2023 season from East Tennessee State, where he had served as the offensive line coach.
“Christian has done what he’s done and still in the league, and then Jay being the Navy offensive line coach, which is super cool,” Boulware said. “For people that know Jay Guillermo and then to see him do that now – this dude’s made a lot of growth. … But Jay’s goofy, and to see him in that role now and about to have his third kid, married with the same girl that he was with at Clemson.
“Those dudes, they’re fun guys. They’re two guys that I still try to stay close with to this day.”
You can check out Clemson Football’s latest 2 Right Turns episode featuring Boulware, as well as new Clemson defensive coordinator Tom Allen, below: