Five things you (probably) didn’t know about Clemson defensive tackles coach Nick Eason
Nick Eason hasn’t changed.
Thielen Smith, who was his defensive line coach when he played for Clemson, said no matter what, Eason always had a smile on his face, in addition to having a good spirit about him. The pearly whites and positive energy were front and center Monday evening when Eason made his first media appearance as the Tigers’ defensive tackles coach and defensive run game coordinator, which he considers a dream job.
“To be here, it’s just a blessing,” the Georgia native said. “I really feel like God really ordered my steps in order for me to be here 20 years later. I’m just excited. Very humbled for the experience and really excited.”
While football plays a significant role in his life as a career, it’s not his only interest nor passion. The multifaceted Eason, who comes to Clemson with NFL experience, and after a one-year stint as Auburn’s defensive line coach, dabbles in other ventures. Many of those talents and tidbits have already been shared on social media, and he’s likely told players about even more during the process of getting to know one another. He also revealed a few fun facts on Monday.
Here are five things you (probably) didn’t know about Nick Eason.
Living the vegan life
Monday was Eason’s first day on a juice cleanse, getting the drinks from a juicery in downtown Greenville. He’s also going to try to switch to vegan living. This will be his second attempt, with the hope that this time, it takes. Gaining 80 pounds since last summer certainly serves as extra motivation for the Tigers’ coach.
“I’m gonna go vegan,” he said, “probably (be) the biggest vegan in Clemson.”
Eason had one last junk food hurrah last week before starting his new way of eating.
“Pixie and Bill’s, Calhoun Corners and Traditions on the Lake and McDonald’s. Yeah, all that stuff,” he said, listing off the Clemson-area eateries. “I ate all that stuff this last week and kind of laid it to rest. I had my own burial for all the bad things that you like: Reese’s Cups, Snickers, Zebra Cakes.”
A future funeral director
Eason was featured on Clemson’s Friday vlog last week. During a look around his office, he displayed a book about embalming. He had started taking online classes through the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service, a private college in New York, when he was coaching for the Tennessee Titans (2014-17).
Eason hasn’t finished the program yet — per the school’s website, it takes on-campus students three semesters, or 12 months, to complete — but plans on doing so at some point in the future.
“That’s going to be like my little, I don’t want to call it a hobby. That’ll be my entrepreneurship business when I’m done coaching,” Eason said. “But I’m not weird.”
Learning from other sports
Some of the best things Eason has learned and used as a coach didn’t come from college football or any other level of the sport. He gleans from other sports to shape his coaching style, and borrows drills performed by his players to help with learning the defensive line position. Soccer has been one sport from which he’s picked up a few good habits.
“Some of the fastest feet I ever saw were some of the women’s soccer team, moving through ladders. I was just blown away,” Eason said. “Soccer players have tremendous twitchiness in terms of their footwork. It’s out of this world. I started studying what kind of ladder drills and footwork drills they were doing. It was very similar to what football players were doing as well. … You can shuffle, in and out, hip twists. I could go on and the list goes on, so just really grateful for just having an opportunity to learn from soccer.”
Background in boxing
Boxing and martial arts are other sports where Eason draws inspiration for hand combat moves he implements during practices. At one point, he took aikido and boxing.
“Defensive line is really about having good hands and feet and, and it’s a violent, violent position,” Eason said.
Aikido is a Japanese martial art that consists of a “comprehensive system of throwing, joint-locking, striking and pinning techniques.”
When Eason was with the Arizona Cardinals, he said he took boxing training with a trainer that previously trained Mike Tyson. How much of the training he’s kept up with remains to be seen, but still plays a part in the kind of drills he has the Tigers’ defensive linemen doing to get each one ready for the season and a professional career beyond college.
Being musically inclined
If you follow Eason on Twitter, you may already know of his musical talents. While on the recruiting trail, he pulled out a guitar and played for then-recruit Caden Story, who since has committed to Clemson after de-committing from Auburn.
Krisse Story, Caden’s mother, posted two videos of Eason and Terry Tucker, the pastor of Believers Church International in Opelika, Ala., during a home visit on Jan. 17. Eason was playing the guitar while Tucker was on what appeared to be box-turned-drum while singing Gospel songs, “I Know the Lord Will Make a Way” and “God is a Good God.”
“@CoachEason1 came and took us to Clemson Pentecostal Church! What a great visit,” Krisse Story tweeted.
Eason taught himself how to play the bass guitar when he was 12 years old and played the drums before that while growing up at his grandfather’s church in Georgia.
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Five things you (probably) didn’t know about Clemson defensive tackles coach Nick Eason."
