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Spiller: 'This Was My Calling'

In his first full season as a running backs coach for the Clemson Tigers, C.J. Spiller has instantly impacted the Tigers' football staff and players.

While still adjusting to hearing the phrase "Coach Spiller," former Clemson star C.J. Spiller has found "his calling" in his first year on head coach Dabo Swinney's staff.

"I'm still getting adjusted to (that name). I've been in it now for almost a month, and you hear the players coming and saying, 'Coach, Coach Spiller'. It takes some time to get adjusted to it...it's not a foreign language to me, but it still takes some time to get used to." Spiller said in his first post-practice conference as the running backs coach.

While helping coach locally at Liberty High School for some time and spending a year as an unpaid graduate assistant under Swinney, Spiller knew that coaching would always be his next career move.

"I just knew that this was my calling," Spiller said. "I know some people say, 'This is their job,' to me, this is my calling. I got that itch when I was helping with those high school students, and that's kind of where it started. I didn't know how quickly it would come.

"I was always praying on it, but I was prepared. I was always preparing myself for when that time does come, but there are still some things that I will learn along the way. I'm not going to sit here and say I know everything because I'm new to it, but I think last year gave me a jumpstart of what to expect and being able to sit in on coach (Tony) Elliott's room, and to see how he commanded a room, the way he engaged with the guys, he gave me a first glimpse of what it takes to be successful. So I'm always going to be grateful for Coach Elliott (for that)."

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