A two-time Frank Broyles Award nominee for the nation's top assistant coach (2017 and 2019) and an 18-year coaching veteran, Clayton White will enter his fourth year as defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach on The Hill in 2020, a post he assumed prior to the 2017 season.
2019
WKU produced a top 25 overall defense in the third season of White's Multiple 4-2-5 scheme, as the Hilltoppers completed one of the best defensive seasons in recent memory. WKU allowed only 20.1 total points per game, which was the lowest mark for the program since 2004 and ranked No. 22 in FBS.
Junior defensive end DeAngelo Malone was voted 2019 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year after producing 99 total tackles – including 21 for loss – with 11.5 sacks, 16 quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. The Atlanta, Ga., native set the WKU FBS Era record (since 2009) in tackles for loss, while becoming only the fourth defender in all-time Hilltopper history with double-digit quarterback takedowns. Malone was WKU's first league Defensive Player of the Year since linebacker Xavius Boyd and defensive end Quanterus Smith went back-to-back in the Sun Belt Conference in 2013 and 2012, respectively.
WKU held opponents to a 29.7% rate (51-of-172) on 3rd down attempts, which ranked sixth in FBS and was the lowest mark for the program since a 30.1% rate (49-of-163) on opponent third down tries in 1987. The Hilltoppers ranked third in FBS with only 82 missed tackles all season long. With 835 total plays in 13 games, that equated to about 6.3 per contest and one every 10 snaps. Only Michigan (74) and Air Force (81) had better such numbers.
WKU also ranked among the best in the nation in a handful of other statistics: 15th with 224 first downs allowed, 19th in red zone defense with a scoring rate of 75.8%, 24th in total defense with 335.5 yards allowed per game and 28th with 200 passing yards allowed per game. The Hilltoppers allowed only 142 plays of 10-plus yards all season – which ranked tied for 10th in the country – and was down from 180 such plays WKU allowed in 2018.
Only 38 points allowed in a four-game stretch from Sept. 28 to Oct. 19 were the second-fewest for WKU since 2004, and only 125 points allowed thru the first seven games were the Hilltoppers’ fewest since 2004. In a 20-3 victory over Old Dominion, WKU held the Monarchs to three points, the fewest allowed by the Hilltoppers since 2016, while allowed just 160 total yards, their fifth-fewest since 2007.
In a 17-8 win over Army, WKU held the Black Knights to 208 total yards, their lowest in 40 games, and kept Army in single-digit scoring for the first time in 29 games. In a 45-19 win at Arkansas, the defense held the Razorbacks to just 87 yards through the air, their first time under 100 passing yards since 2014.
2018
The Hilltoppers were one of the nation's stingiest inside the red zone. WKU allowed just a 103.41 passer rating with their backs against the wall, good for the sixth-best mark nationally and second-best in Conference USA. Even better, the Hilltoppers allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete passes at just a 32.7 percent clip, the best mark in the nation. The Hilltoppers also sent their seniors out on a high-note with a five-interception performance against UTEP on Senior Night, the most interceptions by the Hilltoppers in a single game in the FBS era.
Following the season, three WKU defensive backs received All-Conference USA honorable mention accolades: Ta'Corian Darden, Devon Key, and Drell Greene. Four others from White's defense also earned the honor in Juwuan Jones, D'Angelo Malone, Ben Holt, and Masai Whyte.
2017
During White’s first campaign as the defensive playcaller, the Hilltoppers enjoyed a historic stretch, holding opponents to their fewest point totals through the season’s first seven games in 15 years and a record over that span in the FBS era. As injuries claimed starters along the defensive front and secondary, White’s coaching in the cornerbacks room developed DeAndre Farris from a backup into one of the nation’s top pass defenders.
The pass defense was also one of the nation's stingiest in allowing passing touchdowns as opposing teams found the end zone just 11 times through the air all season against the Hilltoppers, a mark which ranked No. 5 nationally and just three off the nation's top mark. It was the fewest touchdown passes allowed by a WKU team since the 2001 team also allowed just 11 touchdown passes and four fewer than the previous FBS-era low.
Farris’ 15 passes defended, the fifth-most in a single season in program history and tied for the most in the FBS era, ranked No. 36 nationally and No. 2 among C-USA defensive backs. For his efforts, Farris was named All-Conference USA Honorable Mention along with the corner opposite him, Joe Brown.
Due in large part to the tenacity of the defensive backfield in White’s Multiple 4-2-5 scheme, the Hilltoppers finished ranked No. 40 nationally in pass defense – an improvement of 79 spots from the previous season – and No. 4 in pass-happy C-USA, allowing just 206.8 yards per game through the air, the fewest by a WKU team since the 2013 squad. All four starters in the defensive secondary received postseason accolades as safeties Drell Greene (All-C-USA Honorable Mention) and Devon Key (All-Freshman team) picked up mentions.
Previous
At NC State, safety Josh Jones led the Wolfpack in tackles with 109 and interceptions with three. NC State's defense ranked No. 24 nationally, allowing just 352.8 yards per game, and No. 8 nationally in rush defense, limiting opponents to 108.5 yards per game on the ground. It was the second consecutive season the Wolfpack defense posted a Top 30 rating nationally.
In 2015, the Wolfpack defense ranked 29th in the FBS in total defense, 39th in rushing defense, 36th in passing yards allowed, 29th in first down defense, 42nd in interceptions, 34th in third down defense and 35th in TFL and sacks. NC State was also one of only two schools in the FBS to finish in the Top 20 in both Kickoff Return and Punt Return. NC State defensive back Dontae Johnson, a White disciple, was selected in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
Prior to his time in Raleigh, White spent two seasons at Connecticut (2011-12) coordinating the special teams and leading the running backs. While in Storrs, the Huskies tied for the national lead with three punt returns for touchdowns and led the Big East with a 12.5 punt return average, good for No. 18 nationally. Running back Lyle McCombs was named an FWAA Freshman All-American under White's direction, becoming just the second Husky to rush for more than 1,000 yards in his freshman campaign.
White spent one season in Bowling Green on Willie Taggart's first staff in 2010 and helped to build the WKU program during the FCS-to-FBS transition. He assisted in signing future WKU stars including Cam Thomas, Xavius Boyd, Bar'ee Boyd and Tyree Robinson in the signing class of 2010.
A three-year run at Stanford preceded his first stint on The Hill where he coached the Cardinal defensive backs, including future NFL Pro Bowler Richard Sherman, and future NFL players Michael Thomas, Johnson Bademosi and Delano Howell. The Cardinal rose to as high as No. 14 in the polls in 2009 and reached a bowl game for the first time since 2001 that year.
White also had stints at Western Michigan (2006) and Western Carolina (2004-05) following a three-year NFL career with the New York Giants (2001-02) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2003). A three-year letterman at linebacker at NC State (1997-2000), White ended his career with his name across the Wolfpack record book in several categories including career tackles for loss (33), single-season tackles for loss (16) and tackles in a single game (23).
A 2001 graduate with a degree in sport management from NC State, White and his wife Kelly have two children, Chase and Macy.
THE CLAYTON WHITE FILE
PERSONAL
Born: Dec. 2, 1977
Hometown: Dunn, N.C. (Triton HS)
College: NC State, '01
Wife: Kelly
Children: Chase and Macy
PLAYING CAREER (Linebacker)
College: NC State (1997-2000)
Pro: New York Giants (2001-02), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2003)
COACHING CAREER
2003: Sanderson (N.C.) HS (Defensive Backs)
2004-05: Western Carolina (Defensive Backs/Recruiting Coordinator)
2006: Western Michigan (Defensive Backs/Special Teams)
2007-09: Stanford (Defensive Backs)
2010: WKU (Co-Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Backs)
2011-12: Connecticut (Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs)
2013-16: NC State (Co-Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties)
2017-present: WKU (Defensive Coordinator/Cornerbacks)
BOWL EXPERIENCE
1998: MicronPC (NC State, Player)
2000: MicronPC (NC State, Player)
2006: International (Western Michigan, Coach)
2009: Sun (Stanford, Coach)
2014: St. Petersburg (NC State, Coach)
2015: Belk (NC State, Coach)
2016: Independence (NC State, Coach)
2017: Cure (WKU, Coach)
2019: First Responder (WKU, Coach)
