Turns out the turnover on Clemson’s coaching staff isn’t complete just yet.

The Tigers are losing defensive tackles coach Todd Bates to Oklahoma, a source confirmed to The Clemson Insider. Bates is joining the staff of former Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who was hired as the Sooners’ coach early last month.

Bates, who is also expected to take on a co-coordinator role at OU, is the fourth Clemson staffer to follow Venables to OU, joining Ted Roof (defensive coordinator), Miguel Chavis (defensive line) and Thad Turnipseed. Roof and Chavis served in an off-field capacity at Clemson but will move on the field at OU. Turnipseed, a longtime off-field staffer at Clemson, will take on Venables’ chief of staff role at OU.

While the losses of Venables and former offensive coordinator Tony Elliott have gotten most of the attention, the loss of Bates isn’t exactly insignificant.

His move comes just weeks after Bates was promoted to assistant head coach following Elliott’s departure for Virginia, where he will be the head coach. Bates, who’s been on Dabo Swinney’s staff since 2017, was also the Tigers’ recruiting coordinator, helping Clemson land consecutive top-5 classes in 2020 and 2021. That included the nation’s No. 1 recruiting haul in ’20, according to ESPN.

Bates’ promotion came with a new three-year contract and a raise to $715,000 annually, but his departure leaves Swinney with another major void to fill on his coaching staff. The other two — Brandon Streeter as offensive coordinator and Wesley Goodwin as defensive coordinator — were promoted from within.

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