BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford University has named veteran coach John Grass as its 37^th head football coach, the school announced Wednesday afternoon.
 
"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."
 
Grass will be officially introduced at a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 1 p.m. The press conference will be held at Harry's Coffeehouse on the first floor of the University Center.
 
A veteran with more than three decades of college and high school coaching experience, Grass spent nine seasons, eight seasons as head coach, at his alma mater, Jacksonville State. He spent the last four seasons on the staff at Clemson.
 
"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."  
 
Grass joined Jacksonville State in 2013 as Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator before being tabbed for the head coaching job prior to the 2014 season. Grass led JSU to a 72-26 record from 2014-21, winning six Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) titles, including an OVC-record five-straight championships from 2014-2018.
 
Grass was named the OVC's Coach of the Year in each of his first three seasons with the Gamecocks. Grass was named the AFCA National Coach of the Year in 2015 after leading the Gamecocks to 13-2 record and a spot in the FCS National Championship game.
 
In his time at JSU, Grass coached 31 All-Americans and 109 All-OVC performers. In his final campaign with the Gamecocks, the team recorded one of the biggest upsets of the 2021 season, earning a dramatic 20-17 win at Florida State.
 
"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." 
 
Grass spent the last four full seasons assisting with the offense at Clemson University.
 
Grass joined Clemson in an off-field capacity in advance of the team's 2021 Cheez-It Bowl victory. He served as a special assistant to the offense across the 2022 and 2023 seasons before becoming a senior offensive assistant and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024.
 
Prior to joining the college coaching ranks, Grass spent 22 years as an accomplished high school assistant coach and head coach in the state of Alabama. After assistant coaching stops at Ashville High School (1990-92) and Eufaula High School (1993-94), he became Ashville's head coach from 1995-99. After two years as offensive coordinator at Hoover from 2000-01, he went on to be head coach at Alabama's Albertville (2002), Moody (2003-05), Spain Park (2006-07) and Oxford (2008-12) high schools, posting a high school head coaching career record of 123-60.
 
Grass earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Jacksonville State in 1990. He added a Master of Physical Education degree from Jacksonville State in 1997 and a specialist degree in administration from Lincoln Memorial University in 2010. He is married to the former Jada Arnold, and the couple has a daughter, Jules, and two sons, Jud and Jace.
 
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