Carlin elevated to Bearkat defensive coordinator
3/21/2017 11:30:00 AM | Football
HUNTSVILLE – Sam Houston State head football coach K.C. Keeler has announced the promotion of Clayton Carlin to defensive coordinator for the upcoming 2017 season.
Carlin joined the Bearkats in 2016 as defensive backs coach and replaces Brad Sherrod as the head man on defense after Sherrod accepted a position on staff at Wake Forest earlier this spring.
The position will be nothing new for Carlin as he spent four seasons at Coastal Carolina serving as defensive coordinator, prior to joining the Bearkats and has also ran defenses at Bucknell and Cornell.
“I've known Clayton for probably about 30 years,” head coach K.C. Keeler said. “He has worked my camps and he's a terrific football coach and a better person. He's got a great way with the way he coaches the kids and a very simple approach to coaching defense.”
He takes over a defense that led the Southland Conference in sacks and tackles for loss and returns five starters, including Buck Buchanan Award finalist P.J. Hall and all-conference linebacker Justin Johnson.
According to Keeler, Carlin will be charged with implementing a new scheme for the Bearkat defense, one that uses a similar model as the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons of the NFL.
“Coach Sherrod and myself were already in the process of moving our defense to this new scheme, which we thought had a great simplicity to it and would fit our personnel since we want to play fast, but will have a number of new players next year,” Keeler said. “Justin Roberts was part of a similar system at ETSU and Rodrique Wright also did an internship with the Seahawks recently. With Clayton's approach, we really like where we think it will take us.”
While with the Chanticleers, Carlin led a defense that improved from six interceptions in 2011 to 14 in 2012. The Philadelphia native tutored the Big South Defensive Player of the Year during two consecutive seasons as well as the league's top two pass-breakup players in 2013.
In 2015, Coastal ranked 21st nationally in scoring defense, giving up 20.1 points per game. The program set a school record with two shutouts in one season – 55-0 over Alabama A&M and 46-0 over Gardner-Webb. During his tenure, the squad made four consecutive playoff appearances, winning a share of three Big South championships and held a No. 1 national ranking in the FCS Coaches Poll.
During the 2013 season, Coastal Carolina set a school record with 62 pass breakups and 13 interceptions. The unit ranked 45th in the FCS in red zone defense, helped by three blocked field goals, four turnovers on downs and four interceptions.
With a bulk of the Chanticleers returning for Carlin's third season, the Coastal defense ranked 13th in scoring defense – up from 81st the previous year – and 26th in pass efficiency defense. The team also moved up 55 spots in third down conversion defense including holding South Carolina State, Florida A&M and Elon to three points or less in three consecutive games.
Prior to Coastal, Carlin spent two seasons at Bucknell as defensive coordinator. In 2010, he coached the linebackers and in 2011 was promoted to assistant head coach, shifting his focus to the secondary.
In his second year at Bucknell, the Bison defense ranked third in the NCAA in rush defense, allowing just 78.27 rushing yards per game, while leading the Patriot League and ranking 12th in total defense. The unit also ranked 15th in scoring defense.
During his inaugural year with Bucknell, the program led the nation in turnover margin, forcing 22 interceptions and recording 17 fumbles. Carlin spent the previous six years at Cornell where he served two stints at defensive coordinator, spanning four seasons.
In his first year, the Big Red finished seventh nationally in rush defense and 13th nationally in scoring defense (18.1 ppg). He also spent time as the program's offensive coordinator during the stint in which Cornell ranked 10th nationally in rushing (2005) and averaged better than 27 points per game, the best in 50 years at the program.
Carlin got his start at the Division I level as a graduate assistant at Nebraska under legendary coach Tom Osborne from 1994-96. During that time, the Cornhuskers went 36-2 and won two national titles. It also led to opportunities with New Mexico State, where he spent two stints, mixed in with one year at Villanova and two at Buffalo.
