Follow Coach Browning on Twitter: @bigplay_clay
Recruiting Areas:
• North Carolina (Charlotte / Rowan / Cabarrus / Davidson / York County) and West Virginia
Clay Browning begins his sixth season at Elon in 2022 after joining the Phoenix football staff in August 2017. Beginning with the 2020 (spring 2021) season, Browning serves as the program's running backs coach and recruiting coordinator after spending his first three years with the team as the tight ends coach.
In his first three seasons with the program, Browning tutored Matt Foster to a First Team All-CAA Football tight end in 2019. A prospect to continue his career at the next level, Foster finished his career in 2019 with the most receiving yards by a tight end in Elon's FCS era to date.
Key to Elon's running success as well, Browning's tight end unit helped block for a rushing attack that ran for 164.5 yards per game in 2017 before making a jump to the second-best rushing attack in the CAA in 2018 at 199.5 yards per game with running back Jaylan Thomas earning CAA Football Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
As running backs coach in spring 2021, Browning helped Thomas gather 307 yards on the ground, seventh-most in the CAA. He also posted 4.0 yards per carry.
During the fall of 2021 campaign, Elon’s running game was instrumental to its success. The Phoenix went 4-1 when rushing for at least 100 yards and developed throughout the season, culminating with a season-high 146 yards on the ground in a 43-28 win over No. 25 Rhode Island to close the season. Jaylan Thomas finished the season with 600 yards rushing and four touchdowns, averaging 4.1 yards per carry.
Browning, a 2012 UNC graduate, spent time as a student assistant coach with the Tar Heels from 2009-11 and worked with offensive coordinator John Shoop. After one season as an operations assistant at Purdue University, Browning returned to North Carolina for four years in player development and quality control for head coach Larry Fedora.
Browning holds a bachelor's degree in history.
|
Coaching Experience
|
| 2009-11 |
Student Assistant, North Carolina |
| 2012 |
Operations Assistant, Purdue |
| 2013-16 |
Player Development & Quality Control, North Carolina |
| 2017-18 |
Tight Ends, Elon |
| 2019 |
Tight Ends / Recruiting Coordinator, Elon |
| 2020-present |
Running Backs / Recruiting Coordinator, Elon |
