Former Clemson Player Joins Program as a Coach, Per Report

With several assistant coaches departing the program, the Clemson Tigers will have key roles to fill ahead of next season.

The exit of co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Mickey Conn, in particular, leaves a notable leadership void in the team’s secondary.

According to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, the Tigers are adding former Clemson linebacker Corico Wright to their staff in an undisclosed role.

Clemson is set to hire Delaware defensive pass game coordinator/cornerbacks coach Corico Wright, sources tell @CBSSports.

Rising star coach who was a standout linebacker at Clemson as a player. pic.twitter.com/vCbkNZlITG
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 5, 2026

The 36-year-old played linebacker under head coach Dabo Swinney at Clemson from 2009 to 2012, totaling 200 tackles, five sacks, 17 tackles-for-loss and two pass break-ups while appearing in 52 games and making 26 starts over the course of four years.

His best season with the Tigers came in 2011, when he finished third on the team with 80 tackles while appearing in 14 games and starting 11. Wright’s cousin, Leroy Hill, was an All-American linebacker who played at Clemson from 2001 to 2004.

Wright is a double graduate from Clemson, having earned a bachelor's degree in 2012 and a graduate degree in 2015 while kicking off his coaching career with the Tigers. He spent three seasons as a graduate assistant on the Tigers’ staff, helping Clemson win the Orange Bowl twice and reach the National Championship against Alabama during his final year.

Once he left to take his first full-time position as a cornerbacks coach at Murray State, Swinney highlighted Wright’s strong leadership qualities.

“He was a leader for us, a good player,” Swinney said. “It’s fun to see a guy like that not only get his first job, but get a job coaching a position he never played.”

Although he was a linebacker during his playing days, Swinney praised Wright’s commitment to learning the intricacies of a positional unit that he wasn’t as familiar with.

“He really went above and beyond to really learn our entire defense and system, and he’s been working with the secondary for the past year trying to learn the craft back there,” Swinney said.

Wright has spent the past three seasons coaching at the University of Delaware, where he served as the team’s cornerbacks coach and defensive pass game coordinator.

Throughout his time with the Blue Hens, he coached three all-conference cornerbacks, including Tyron Herring, who signed a contract with the Green Bay Packers.

Before arriving at Delaware, Wright served as the defensive backs coach and assistant special teams coach at Furman University, where he helped the Paladins reach the FCS Playoffs twice.

Wright also gained some professional experience while serving as a Bill Wash Minority intern for the New York Jets in 2014 and the Miami Dolphins in 2019.

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