Marion Hobby’s decision to leave Clemson to become the new defensive line coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars was not a total surprise to head coach Dabo Swinney.
The Clemson head coach kind of knew if the right situation came along, Hobby might leave the program to pursue other avenues. The situation finally came around last month when Hobby’s good friend, Doug Marrone, asked Hobby to join his coaching staff in Jacksonville.
The two have been good friends for a while and coached together in New Orleans when Hobby was the defensive line coach of the Saints from 2006-’07 and Marrone was the offensive coordinator. Swinney admitted this was not the first time in the last few years that someone came knocking on the door hoping to take Hobby away from Clemson.
“There are only 32 of those D-line jobs in the NFL,” the Clemson head coach said earlier this week. “People don’t know, but Marion has probably had four or five jobs offered to him over the last couple of years. He turned them all down to stay here. I mean some good ones … some in college, some in the pros.
“But Marion Hobby is a great friend. He is incredibly loyal. I have been with him I guess six years now. This is the one he felt like was the right opportunity for him. He has known Doug for a long time. They coached together with the Saints. He felt like this was the right timing for him. I’m happy for him. He is just awesome.”
Hobby, who came to Clemson in 2011, was definitely awesome during his time at Clemson. In his seven years as an assistant coach at Clemson, including a one-year stint in 2005, the Tigers have finished in the top 25 every year, including this year when he helped the Tigers win the program’s first national title since 1981.
He is responsible for coaching and developing great defensive ends at Clemson such as Vic Beasley, Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd. All three were selected in the first 33 picks of the NFL draft the last two years, including a No. 8 overall selection for Beasley in the 2015 Draft and No. 19 overall of Lawson in 2016. Dodd went No. 33 overall in the second round of last year’s draft.
Lawson and Dodd were one and two nationally in tackles for loss with Lawson recording 25.5 and Dodd getting 23.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage in 2015. They both also ranked fourth and fifth in sacks with Lawson recording 12.5 and Dodd with 12.
Beasley was a consensus First-Team All-American as both as a junior and as a senior as well as being named the 2014 ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He finished his career with a school-record 33 sacks.
Beasley will start for Atlanta in Super Bowl LI on Sunday after leading the NFL this past season with 15.5 sacks.
Hobby’s defensive ends have allowed Clemson to lead college football in tackle for loss in each of the last four seasons, including this season when the Tigers had 130 stops behind the line.
Swinney officially hired Todd Bates to replace Hobby on Jan. 23 when his contract was approved.
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