Clemson has found its next president, turning to Georgia provost Ben Ayers to fill the role after a brief and unexpected search scramble.
The university announced Thursday morning that Ayers will replace Kevin Guskiewicz, who had previously accepted the job before backing out to return to Michigan State. Ayers takes over for Jim Clements, who retired as Clemson president at the end of 2025.
“It is a tremendous honor to be selected to serve as the next president of Clemson University,” Ayers said in a release. “I am grateful to the Board of Trustees and the search committee for its confidence and humbled by the opportunity to join the Clemson Family.
Clemson’s tradition of excellence, its commitment to students and its impact through teaching, research and service make it one of the nation’s most respected public universities. I look forward to working alongside our students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters to build upon the strong foundation and shape an even brighter future together.”
Guskiewicz’s reversal sent a jolt through the process earlier this week, and his decision to stay at Michigan State also had ripple effects in the SEC. Kentucky was able to hire athletic director J Batt away from the Spartans, and even with Guskiewicz back in East Lansing, Batt is expected to continue with his transition to UK.
Ayers arrives from Georgia with a background rooted on the academic side of the university. While university presidents can play a part in shaping college athletics, his work at Georgia was largely centered on academics. Before becoming provost, he served as dean of UGA’s Terry College of Business.
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Georgia Faces A Growing SEC Debate It Cant Ignore
As more SEC schools keep leaning into entertainment districts as a way to reshape the fan experience and open new revenue streams, Georgia is still taking a more cautious path. Athletic director Josh Brooks said the university does not have an immediate plan for a district of its own, largely because of campus space limitations, but he also left the door open to land-use possibilities that could eventually change the conversation.
For now, the focus is on making better use of what already exists. Brooks pointed to Sanford Stadium, Stegeman Coliseum and Foley Field as venues that could help bring in more non-sports events, part of a broader effort to generate revenue without rushing into a major development project. The bigger question is whether Georgia can keep pace with the SECs latest trend while waiting for the right opportunity to emerge south of campus. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Lands 5th In ESPNs Most Debated Preseason Ranking
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Still, the bigger lesson from recent preseason FPI releases is that the numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. Recent SEC-heavy examples have shown how often these early rankings miss the mark, with plenty of teams that started high eventually finishing nowhere near it, so Georgias place in the mix is more a reminder of its reputation than a guarantee of how the season will unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Just Reopened A Frustrating Future Schedule Debate
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So the real question is less about whether Georgia will fill the spot than what kind of game it wants there. The expectation is that the Bulldogs will add another home opponent that does not raise the degree of difficulty much, a familiar kind of scheduling move for a program that has long balanced a brutal conference grind with a softer nonleague date or two. Kirby Smart has also made clear before that he knows when a matchup is lopsided, which is part of why this latest opening has reopened a debate Georgia fans know well. [Read more 🡒]