Clemson's Parker Has Decision to Make After Rockies Take Him in First Round
by Jim Henry
Don't expect Kyle Parker to break a promise and change his approach. The Clemson Tigers are two victories away from the College World Series. Professional baseball -- and any decisions regarding Parker's football future -- must wait.
Parker, Clemson's two-sport star, was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the first round (26th overall) of the MLB Draft Monday night. Parker also smacked his team-high 20th home run on Monday to help the Tigers beat Auburn and advance to this weekend's Super Regional at home against Alabama.
Parker, who doubles at quarterback and as an outfielder, is the first Division I athlete to record 20 touchdown passes on the gridiron and hit 20 home runs in baseball in the same academic year. He was also the first ACC athlete to play on a division champion in football and baseball in the same year.
Parker, who projects as a corner outfielder in the major leagues, is hitting .358 and has a team-high 66 runs batted in. Parker is the first Clemson player taken in the first round since left-handed pitcher Daniel Moskos was the fourth pick of the 2007 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
by David Steele
Ray Ray McElrathbey became a household name in 2006 when he became the legal guardian of his 11-year-old brother while still a football player at Clemson. Now, McElrathbey's own household has grown -- he not only has custody of Fahmarr, now 14, but also another brother, 19-year-old Cornelius, and a sister, 16-year-old Brittany.After their mother, struggling with drug problems throughout their lives, could no longer take care of them, McElrathbey now has the responsibility of taking care of three of his seven siblings. He has a trust fund started to allow fans to contribute to his raising them, and he has a bachelor's degree from Clemson and one semester to go to get his masters.What he does not have is a senior year of football. Nor does he have terribly fond opinions of the school to which he transferred after graduating from Clemson with two years of eligibility left -- and which, for reasons he still cannot get a full explanation, kept him from playing a single snap in the 2009 season and appears unwilling to help him regain that lost season.Instead, McElrathbey, at age 23, has this sentiment about his journey after leaving Clemson, expressed two months ago: "I'm getting screwed.'' 
by Jim Henry
The Atlantic Coast Conference was one of three leagues which had three teams ranked among the top 15 in the final Bowl Championship Series with No. 9 Georgia Tech, No. 11 Virginia Tech and No. 15 Miami. That was the good news for a conference still searching for respect. Sing it Aretha! The ACC's 2009 bowl season was reflective of the league's regular season -- average, at best. The conference finished 3-4 overall -- its fourth straight season without a winning bowl record -- and dropped to 2-10 in BCS bowls.
by Mark Hasty
There is, apparently, no recession in college football. Or, if there is, it has bypassed the South Carolina uplands. Now that Dabo Swinney (right) has had his training wheels taken off, it's time for the rest of the staff to get paid accordingly. And oh boy, are they going to. Clemson will pony up $1.8 million for Dabo Swinney's staff next season.That's staggering, even if the ACC still trails the SEC in the coaching staff arms race. Last season, only 25 of the 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams paid their head coaches $1.8 million or more. Thus, as ridiculous as head coach salaries have become, the staff adds the equivalent of yet another head coach to the overall operating expenses.You can complain all you want, but (a) it won't do you any good, and (b) there's a very good reason why these schools will pay a staff so much.Clemson Assistants To Be Paid $1.8 Million; Thankfully, Not Each originally appeared on Fanhouse NCAA Football Blog on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:37:00 EST . .
You can't say Clemson isn't hedging their bets in their coaching search, or at the very least, sticking to their word. Looks like Dabo Swinney isn't long for this gig, because not only is Phillip Fulmer's interest being reciprocated, but like most teams in this market, Clemson is after Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables. Makes sense: Venables shares the youth and tenacity of Swinney, but with a far more impressive resume (save for that Texas game). Or at least a higher Q rating- while Oklahoma's D has slipped considerably over the past couple of years, Venables is still seen as one of the brightest young minds in the college game. It would likely be a real coup for Clemson, even if Venables' Big XII pedigree (played LB at Kansas State) might not immediately translate to southern recruiting. Plus, does he bring QB coach Josh Heupel along with him? Of course, this begs the question as to whether Clemson happens to be the #1 job on the market- it's been said that it's an SEC job (in re: salary, facilities, fanbase) with ACC competitiveness, but then again, look where that's got them for the time being.Clemson Interviews Oklahoma's Venables originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:52:00 EST . .