CLEMSON — Clemson has had a lot of additions and changes over the offseason, especially on the defensive side of the football. A reunion with a former player is one of them.

And not just any former player.

Former Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware returned to Clemson in 2024 as an unpaid volunteer coach. In the off-season, after head coach Dabo Swinney made some changes to his football staff, including bringing in new defensive coordinator Tom Allen, Boulware assumed the role of linebackers coach.

“I really like him,” said linebacker Sammy Brown, who had 10 tackles, including nine solo hits in the eighth-ranked Tigers’ loss to No. 3 LSU. “He has this perceived ‘Grrrrr’ on him, but he’s actually a very good coach. He played the game, so he understands that when you’re in a game like that, you can’t yell at a guy and tell him what he’s doing wrong. You really have to coach him in games like that. So, I thought he was really good.”

Boulware was an All-American linebacker at Clemson from 2013-2016. In 2016, he helped lead the Tigers to their first national championship in 35 years. As one of the most beloved players in school history, his leadership and character back his intensity and passion for the game, and his energy is contagious.

“The biggest thing is that I know that he knows what he is talking about because he has made that stop before,” Brown said. “He has made that correction before, so it gives me more confidence coming from him to know that he has played the game before.”

Former experience is a major plus for a coach, and Boulware uses his own experiences as a player to help lead and correct the current players.

After his time at Clemson, Boulware signed with the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad in 2017 before being let go. It was after that that he founded The Junkyard, a cross-functional training facility that has locations across the Upstate of South Carolina, including in his hometown of Anderson.

Boulware will look to continue to make an impact on the current Clemson Tigers this season, starting with the Troy Trojans on Saturday at 3:30 pm at Memorial Stadium.