CLEMSON — John Grass is one of the more veteran assistants on Dabo Swinney’s staff at Clemson.

Grass has been coaching football for more than three decades, including an eight-year stint as the head coach at Jacksonville State. In his final season at the helm, he led the Gamecocks to a 20-17 win on the road at Florida State, one of the biggest upsets in the country during the 2021 campaign.

Grass joined Swinney’s staff as a senior offensive analyst ahead of Clemson’s 2021 win in the Cheez-It Bowl and has been a vital asset behind the scenes, particularly his work with the quarterbacks.

“I call myself the old guy in the offensive room,” Grass told The Clemson Insider. “It is a really fun job. Get to mentor the younger guys, and those guys do a great job, so they don’t need a lot of guidance. Hopefully, I can share a little wisdom every now and then.”

Admittedly, there was an adjustment going from the guy calling the shots to being an analyst, but for Grass, the change has been a refreshing one.

“It is different,” he said. “My whole career, I have been a head coach or calling plays as an offensive coordinator. So this role is a lot different in that regard. I can’t say that I miss having to answer all the questions and all that stuff. That part of it has been kind of relaxing.”

One of the biggest advantages he enjoys about being in his new role is the time it now allows him to be a dad. Grass has three children. His oldest, a son, is currently a senior at Clemson. The middle child is a daughter, a rising sophomore, who is also at Clemson.

The youngest is Jace, a rising sophomore in high school who also happens to play quarterback. After spending his freshman season at Pendleton, Jace will be attending Daniel this season.

Some already rate him as the top signal caller in the state for his class, with Syracuse and SMU having already offered, along with a number of FCS and G5 programs. Jace threw for 1,969 yards with 18 touchdowns as a freshman last season.

“God’s timing is perfect,” Grass added. “The role I am in now allows me to spend a lot of time with him. Being around this program, and him having access to game days and stuff like that, has been really good. It is fun. He has loved it ever since he was a baby. So it is fun being just a dad, and getting to experience it all.”

With so much experience at the high school and college level, Grass has plenty of experience with the recruiting process, and from both sides of the aisle. He also loves the fact that his current job allows him plenty of time to just be the dad in that process.

“I was a head coach in high school for a long, long time and then a college head coach, so I have seen it from both ends,” Grass said. “Helping kids get recruited, to recruiting kids, so it is just good to be a dad going through that process. The main thing is he loves the game. It is fun to watch him excel.”

Jace undoubtedly still has a long way to go when it comes to his recruitment. However, both have already at least thought a little about what it would be like for father and son to be a part of the same program.

“That would be awesome,” Grass said. “That would be a lot of fun. I think he would love to play at Clemson, too. He loves the Tigers.”