SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Clemson assistant coach Todd Bates could hardly contain his excitement earlier this month when head coach Dabo Swinney told Bates that he wanted him to take over as the Tigers’ on-field recruiting coordinator following Jeff Scott’s departure to South Florida to be its new head coach.

“I tell you what, I was so excited, man,” Bates said to The Clemson Insider during the Fiesta Bowl media day at JW Marriott Camelback Inn. “I couldn’t really contain myself because recruiting is a lifeblood of your program, and it’s just a blessing, man. I was ecstatic when I found out and really just can’t wait to hit the ground running with it. It’s going to be great, man. I look forward to putting in the effort that it takes to be great.”

Swinney elevated quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter to be the Tigers’ passing game coordinator, meaning this year’s 2020 signing class is his last as Clemson’s recruiting coordinator.

Although Streeter helped the Tigers sign what is currently ranked as the nation’s No. 1 class, Bates is not feeling any pressure as he steps into Streeter’s place in that role.

“I tell you what, man, we got the best of the best,” Bates said. “We’ve been the best around here because of people like Coach Streeter, and the people make this place special – and the way that we go about it, recruiting people first. So, I just plan on continuing that. It’s no pressure when you’re prepared.”

Bates has had a passion for recruiting dating to his days as a player at Alabama from 2001-04 when he regularly served as a host during weekends, and his wife was one of the girls that helped with recruiting called “Bama Belles.”

So, when Swinney asked Bates to be Clemson’s on-field recruiting coordinator, he did not hesitate to accept the position.

“It was a no-brainer,” Bates said. “I was so excited about it. I was telling somebody earlier that every weekend when I was a player in college, I was a part of recruiting weekend. I always was hosting and being around families, and feel like I’ve never met a stranger. So, that’s helped me in coming into this role.”

Bates, who is in his third season at Clemson, replaced legendary assistant coach and recruiter Dan Brooks in January of 2017. In his first year, while Swinney waited on the NCAA to allow programs to hire a 10th on-field assistant coach, Bates coached the entire defensive line by himself, helping the Tigers land another top-five defense while leading the nation in sacks and tackles for loss.

As a recruiter, Bates is one of the best in the nation, and his prowess on the recruiting trail was evident again in this cycle when he helped the Tigers sign three of the nation’s best defensive tackles in five-stars Bryan Bresee and Demonte Capehart and four-star Tre Williams.

Asked if he will do anything different in his new role, Bates replied, “I’m just going to be me.”

“I’m going to be who I am like I’ve always been and just try to do the best I can and utilize the people around me,” Bates said. “That’s what I’ve noticed — the best leaders, like Coach Swinney and Coach Venables, Coach Scott, Coach Elliott, all of our leaders, they use the pieces around them to a level of mastery, and you’ve got to put people in positions that know how to do that.”

Bates believes he has all the pieces in place around him to be successful as the Tigers’ new recruiting coordinator.

“We have 19 former players on our staff, and that really helps,” he said. “You’re not just talking about family, you’re living it, and you have guys like that once you get them on campus, Clemson really sells itself because you’ve got the people in place, and that’s always the secret sauce if you would – getting them around those people, getting them around our beautiful campus, and our support staff, they’re second to none.”

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