VIDEO: Jay Guillermo Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman head football coach Mike Clowney has announced former Clemson standout center and Georgia State assistant Jay Guillermo will join the coaching staff at C-N and mentor the offensive line.
Guillermo, a former high school standout at Maryville, replaces Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner Kevin Day who accepted a position at Lakeway Christian.
"Jay really didn't come onto our radar until after Coach Day left," Clowney said. "We started looking for an offensive line coach and once we got to know him, the calls started pouring in backing up what a good fit he would be given what our program stands for. There is no question he will help push our offensive line forward for the future. He has been around winning football programs. He knows what that looks like and what it takes to win."
A former national champion and team captain for Clemson's run to the 2016 college football crown, Guillermo comes to Carson-Newman after spending time as an assistant coach for tight ends at Western Carolina.
"It's a quality place with quality people," Guillermo said. "That was the big thing that attracted me. Coach Clowny, (offensive coordinator Brock) Pursley are quality people. They are the kind of people that I want to work with day in and day out. It's a good match for us as a family."
Prior to his time in Cullowhee, Guillermo spent a season as a part of the Georgia State Panthers' coaching staff. Guillermo helped Georgia State to a program-record seven victories in 2019, garnering the program's first-ever bowl appearance at the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl in Tucson against Wyoming. He also saw the Panthers put up 38 points in a 38-30 triumph over the Tennessee Volunteers in his first career game as an FBS assistant. Working primarily with the offensive line, he assisted with Georgia State's best offense in school history, averaging over 245 rushing yards per game.
During his year on staff, Guillermo mentored three All-Sun Belt Conference selections including first-team honoree Hunter Atkinson, third-team all-conference selection Quion Gilmore, and honorable mention, Malik Sumter.
As a player at Clemson from 2013-16, Guillermo was a four-time ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week and twice received All-ACC accolades at center along the Tigers' offensive line. He twice played in the College Football Playoff national title games. In 2016, Guillermo graced the watch list for the 2016 Dave Rimington Award which is presented each year to the top center in college football.
Following his graduation from Clemson, Guillermo worked out for both the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans in the NFL rookie minicamps before signing with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League in late-May of 2017. He retired from playing in the summer of 2017.
Having graduated from Maryville High in Maryville, Tenn., where he was a two-time Tennessee state champion, Guillermo played for the Rebels for two seasons after transferring from Burns High in Lawndale, N.C. At Maryville, He earned the 2011 Tennessee Lineman "Mr. Football" award before taking his talents to Death Valley and Clemson. He returned to Burns High to begin his coaching career in 2017, serving as the varsity offensive line coach parlaying that into the graduate assistantship at Georgia State.
Guillermo is married to the former Ava Bell, who is from Radford, Va., and was a member of the Clemson Track & Field team. The couple has a daughter.
