Samford Hires Clemson Analyst John Grass as Next Head Football Coach
Following their worst season since 1985 that resulted in the firing of head football coach Chris Hatcher, Samford has announced his replacement. Clemson offensive senior analyst and assistant QB coach John Grass has now been named Samford’s new head football coach.
He has been on the Clemson staff under Dabo Swinney since 2022.
Grass, 57, was the Jacksonville State head coach from 2014-2021 and had tremendous success at his alma mater. In those eight seasons, Grass compiled a 72-26 record with six OVC conference championships and were ranked at one time number one in the country. He was named the OVC Coach of the Year three different times.
The Gamecocks’ winning percentage under Grass of .735 is the best in Jacksonville State program history.
In 2021, Grass announced his resignation with two games remaining at Jacksonville State and was hired on to Clemson’s staff a month later. No official public reason was given at the time.
Grass gets to move back to his home state where he had plenty of experience as a high school coach before joining the Jacksonville State staff. Grass spent 22 years coaching high school football all around the state of Alabama serving as an assistant coach and head coach. He was a head coach at Ashville High School along with Spain Park High School among others.
He finished with a high school head coaching record of 123-60.
Before becoming the head coach at Jacksonville State, Grass spent 2013 as the Gamecocks’s assistant head coach and offensive coordinator. He was then promoted to head coach when Bill Clark took over at UAB.
In 2013, it was Jacksonville State’s offense with offensive coordinator John Grass that beat Samford in the first round of the FCS Playoffs 55-13.
Here was Samford President Beck Taylor and Samford Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Martin Newton on the hiring of Grass.
"Coach Grass has won at every level," Samford President Dr. Beck A. Taylor said. "He knows this state and region well. In addition to excellence on the field, Coach Grass also embraces and embodies Samford's Christ-centered educational mission. I welcome John and his family back to Alabama. Faith, family, football, and fun will be a winning combination for the Bulldogs. "When we started the process for hiring our next head football coach, we were very specific with what we were looking for as our next leader," Samford Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Martin Newton said. "We wanted someone with head coaching experience and a proven track record of winning. Someone with strong roots and relationships in Alabama and our local community. Someone that understands and embraces the Christian mission of our institution. John Grass is that someone."
Swinney once described Grass as a “brilliant offensive guy” as he will have the task of revitalizing the Samford offense which just finished 2025 averaging just 14.5 points per game.
Four of the Jacksonville State offenses under Grass sit in the top five of most points scored and yards of total offense in Jacksonville State history.
John Grass’s son, Jace, is a quarterback prospect in the 2028 class who has offers from SMU, ETSU, and Jacksonville State among others.
Here is John Grass’s statement on becoming the next head coach for Samford. "I'm extremely grateful to Dr. Beck Taylor and Martin Newton for the opportunity to lead the Samford Bulldog football program," Grass said. "I've always fostered a great respect for the Samford community and I'm excited to get boots on the ground and get to work. I'm grateful to Coach Swinney for the last four years at Clemson, but I am excited to join the Bulldog family."
Samford officially has their new leader for their football program to build Samford back up to what they want to be, a consistent winner.
This has been updated to include released statements via the Samford announcement of Grass’s hiring.
