DeAndre Hopkins’ trip back to Clemson already had some juice to it. Now it comes with an even bigger wrinkle.
Georgia Tech announced Monday that Hopkins has been elevated from assistant receivers coach to primary receivers coach for the rest of the season, putting the former Tigers star in a much larger role just days before the Yellow Jackets visit Memorial Stadium.
The move comes after Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key fired four primary assistant coaches following a rough stretch that left the Yellow Jackets at 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the ACC, last among the league’s 17 teams. Hopkins steps into the top receivers job after Jafar Williams was let go.
Georgia Tech said the changes were made after the team dropped its fourth straight ACC game. Key explained the decision in a news release, saying, “I’ve decided that it’s necessary to make these changes at this time in order to put our players in the best position to be successful these final three games of the season,”
For Hopkins, 34, the promotion adds another layer to a return that was already going to draw attention. He joined Georgia Tech’s staff this offseason after a 13-year NFL career to begin his coaching path under offensive coordinator George Godsey, a close friend who coached him with the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens.
Now his first game as a primary position coach will come against Clemson and Dabo Swinney, with the Tigers hosting Georgia Tech at 12:30 p.m. Saturday on the CW.
Hopkins’ Clemson résumé is still one of the best in school history. A native of Central, South Carolina, and a Daniel High School graduate, he played for Swinney from 2010-12 and finished No. 2 in program history with 3,020 receiving yards. He is tied for No. 1 in career touchdown catches with 27, and his 18 touchdown grabs in 2012 remain the most in a single season at Clemson.
He was also a second team All American as a junior and delivered one of the biggest catches in program history, hauling in a crucial fourth-and-16 pass in Clemson’s transformative Chick-fil-A Bowl win over LSU that season.
Hopkins went on to become a first-round pick of the Texans in 2013 and spent 13 NFL seasons with Houston, the Cardinals, Titans, Chiefs and Ravens. He ranks among the top 30 all-time in the NFL in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns and is viewed as a potential Pro Football Hall of Famer.
When Georgia Tech hired him in July, Hopkins made it clear on social media that he had not formally retired from the NFL. In a June Sirius XM interview, he said he has “a lot of ball left” but wasn’t in a hurry to sign with a team or be a “regular-season hero,” adding, “I would love to play for a competitor if that time came,”
For now, though, his next stop is Death Valley - just in a different role, and on the other sideline.
Clemson (6-3, 4-2 ACC) and Georgia Tech meet Saturday in Clemson. The Tigers are listed as 13.5-point favorites.
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