Clemson football, Dabo Swinney adding veteran ACC assistant coach to staff
Clemson football has added an ACC coaching veteran to its staff.
Lonnie Galloway, who was most recently UNC’s wide receivers coach, has joined the Tigers as an offensive analyst, he announced on Thursday via X (formerly Twitter). Galloway is listed in the university directory as a “volunteer coach” for offense.
Galloway, 53, had been coaching at UNC since 2019 but was looking for a new role after the school fired Mack Brown and hired Bill Belichick as its new coach.
Now, he’s joining coach Dabo Swinney’s staff and will work as an analyst for Swinney and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Garrett Riley.
Galloway has also worked at West Virginia (two stints), Wake Forest and Louisville. He was the Cardinals’ co-offensive coordinator and UNC’s passing game coordinator.
Clemson went 10-4 in 2024, won the ACC championship and made the College Football Playoff. The Tigers start 2025 spring practice later this month.
Swinney and the Tigers often employ former FBS head coaches and assistant coaches as analysts. Ted Roof and Chad Morris have recently been on staff.
Lonnie Galloway Wakey Leaks controversy
Nine years ago, Galloway was disciplined for his role in the infamous Wake Forest play-sharing scandal that became known around college football as “Wakey Leaks.”
Wake Forest started a program-wide investigation into possible playcalling leaks after an equipment manager found documents inside Louisville’s stadium showing specific Wake Forest playcalls one day before their game at UL, per ESPN.
The university ultimately concluded after an internal investigation that its radio color commentator Tommy Elrod, a former Demon Deacons quarterback and assistant coach, had provided opponents with “confidential game preparations” several times since the 2014 season. One of the coaches implicated was Galloway.
Galloway had worked alongside Elrod on coach Dave Clawson’s Wake Forest staff from 2011-12 and had known Elrod since 2007, Louisville said at the time.
UL’s investigation and information revealed by later public records requests showed that Galloway and Elrod had spoken on the phone for 25 minutes the week of the 2016 Wake Forest-Louisville game (which ultimately triggered the investigation).
“Among the communication were a few plays that were sent and then shared with our defensive staff,” Louisville’s athletic director said at the time.
Elrod was fired and permanently banned from Wake Forest’s campus.
Galloway was not fired, but UL suspended him from its bowl game that season. He coached with the Cardinals for two seasons before spending six years at UNC.
This story was originally published February 6, 2025 at 11:58 AM.
