Richard Yeargin is entering his first year as Clemson Football’s Director of Former Player Engagement & Development in 2025.
Yeargin was part of two national titles teams at Clemson from 2014-18. He redshirted the 2014 campaign before playing 22 games as a defensive end across the 2015-16 seasons, including Clemson’s 35-31 victory over Alabama to claim the national championship at the end of the 2016 season.
In June 2017, Yeargin sustained fractures of the C5 through C7 vertebrae at the base of his neck and a concussion in a severe car accident. Symptoms related to the accident persisted and he decided to retire from football, and he eventually underwent surgery and became a student coach for Clemson’s 2018 national championship squad while he continued to rehab under the watch of Clemson’s strength and conditioning staff.
During a routine check-up in early 2019, Yeargin was surprisingly cleared to return to the playing field. He spent his final season at Boston College, appearing in every game as a regular in the Eagles’ defensive line rotation while making six starts. He earned the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award, given annually to the conference’s most courageous player, joining cancer survivor Mark Herzlich as the second player in Boston College history to collect the award. He was also nominated for the Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award.
Yeargin earned his undergraduate degree from Clemson in sports communication and business administration in 2017. He added a master’s degree from Clemson in athletic leadership in 2019. He is presently pursuing his doctorate in educational leadership from Clemson.
In addition to his on-field exploits and academic pursuits, Yeargin has become an author, educator and in-demand public speaker. He published The Man is Greater Than the Brand and spent the 2022-25 academic years serving as a lecturer in Clemson’s athletic leadership program.
Yeargin is married to his wife, Kayla, and has a son, Elijah.