CLEMSON — Clemson has parted ways with a longtime assistant coach.

Mickey Conn is no longer a part of the coaching staff, head coach Dabo Swinney announced late Monday. Conn became Clemson’s full-time assistant coach for safeties in January of 2017. He became the Tigers’ defensive passing game coordinator and co-special teams coordinator titles prior to the 2025 season.

“We will also have a change with the leadership of our safeties with the departure of Mickey Conn,” Swinney said in a statement. “Coach Conn is someone that I’ve known since 1990 and he truly is family to me. He has done an amazing job here at Clemson. He’s been with us since 2016 — 10 years — and he’s been coaching the safeties since 2017 and coached a bunch of great safeties for us, including R.J. Mickens, who is a starting safety in the NFL as a rookie this year.

“I’m just so appreciative of Mickey and the great contribution that he’s made at Clemson over the last decade. I’m thankful for his family as well. I’m excited for upcoming opportunities he may have to go and call a defense and take the next step in his career. I’m forever grateful for Mickey and all the outstanding players he’s coached and all the memorable wins and championships we’ve earned together in the last decade.”

Conn started at Clemson as a defensive analyst in 2016.

The Tigers’ pass defense was one of the worst this past season in the ACC. They gave up 251.4 yards per game with Conn in charge of the pass defense.

The secondary’s performance in the Pinstripe Bowl was indicative of the kind of season it was in 2025. Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who came in with just 1,079 passing yards in six games as the starter, had a career day, as he completed 22 of 34 passes for 262 yards and 2 TDs in the Nittany Lions’ 22-10 win.

Clemson finished the 2025 season allowing 18 TDs and picking off just nine passes. Ricardo Jones had six of those nine interceptions for the Tigers.

Conn was a part of a Clemson staff that qualified for six College Football Playoff appearances, including national championship runs in 2016, 2018 and 2019. Clemson won the 2016 and 2018 National Championships and became the first team in major college football to go 15-0 in a season when they won it all in 2018.

During his time at Clemson, Conn coached three All-Americans, two freshmen All-Americans and one ACC Rookie of the Year in Andrew Mukuba. He also coached four All-ACC performers.

With Tanner Muse and Nolan Turner in 2019 and 2020, respectively, Clemson had a safety honored as All-Americans in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1981 and 1982, when Terry Kinard parlayed first-team honors by AP and FWAA in 1981 into unanimous All-American honors in the 1982 season.

Conn was a longtime high school head coach at at Grayson High School in Georgia, where he owned the most victories at the highest classification in the state of Georgia before he came to the Clemson football program. He was inducted into the Gwinnett County (Ga.) Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.

The Alabama graduate coached several former Clemson players at Grayson High School, including running back Wayne Gallman, cornerback Ryan Carter, quarterback (and nephew) Chase Brice and quarterback Nick Schuessler. He also coached former Clemson running back Phil Mafah in the Gwinnett Football League from age seven through seventh grade.

Conn and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney were teammates at Alabama, as they were both on its 1992 national title squad under head coach Gene Stallings. Conn lettered during the 1992, 1993 and 1994 seasons, but was on the team from 1990-94. He redshirted during his freshman season.

He later served as a graduate assistant coach at Alabama in 1996 and 1997. He was on staff when Swinney was a full-time coach with the Crimson Tide.