By: Cole Mantell (@lightningdragon)
We have two new ADs in the CFSL this season, and we’re starting with the newest AD for the Clemson Tigers. Logan Wetzel hails originally from Alabama, comparing himself to Dabo Swinney. In our short conversation, he seemed ready for the big challenge of taking over a big-name school. He knows the trail ahead of him to compete for Clemson’s first National Championship since Season 8. Clemson is one of just five CFSL programs with multiple National Championships. They are among a select group of teams to have participated in every season since their inception in Season 3. Of course, with that much history on the line, the expectations will also come quicker for Logan and his staff.
This is Logan’s first stint as the head of a program. He has been a part of two winning coaching staffs in the past few years under former Texas and current Auburn AD Justin Duke. He played a large part in the success of both teams over the past few seasons, including leading Auburn to an undefeated season and the National Championship Game this past season. Although the Championship in Tampa didn’t end the way he wanted it too, he leaves Auburn proud of the winning legacy he left there.
A former background actor in a feature film, Logan isn’t afraid of these expectations. He already is hard at work, building both a staff and roster to compete in the ACC. He is retaining one coach on staff from the previous regime and has brought in two more into the fold for Season 21. He added in our interview, “I wanted a mixed bag of (new and experienced coaches). I was very fortunate to work alongside an excellent staff at Auburn and Texas over the past couple of seasons, so this really seemed like a no-brainer to me to try and incorporate the stakeholders from those teams into Clemson for (Season 21).”
He may have grown up in Alabama and cheered for Auburn, but Logan is used to cheering for new teams. He attended Troy University for college, a few hours down the road from his childhood school fandom. He now lives in Minnesota, cheering for his adopted Minnesota Golden Gophers. Now he will cheer and help a new team in the CFSL, the Clemson Tigers. He’s got a tough road ahead of him, trying to revive the glory days of long past. As someone who was once an AD for a similar school in a similar situation, I empathize with that challenge. But Logan hopes to turn the page in Clemson’s history and bring about the return of better days. He starts at the start of Season 21, and he’s excited to get to work with his staff.
Already, as I’m writing this article, Clemson had taken some big first steps in the first offseason of the Logan Wetzel era. Wetzel and his staff landed both the #5 and #6 recruits of Season 21. That, plus a strong transfer class, has already reshaped the Tigers’ roster in the first few weeks since Logan has taken over. While we are still working on the recruiting class rankings, early indications show that Clemson will be near the top of the list in almost anyone’s rankings. A strong start to what Logan Wetzel hopes will be sustained success, on and off the field.
