Ron West

Coaching veteran Ron West is in his 39th year as collegiate coach and his third season as the co-offensive line coach at Georgia Tech. West works alongside offensive line coach Mike Sewak, overseeing the backbone of head coach Paul Johnson’s patented spread option offense.

In his two seasons with the Yellow Jackets, West has helped guide a Georgia Tech offensive front that has paved the way for Tech to lead the ACC and rank among the top 10 nationally in rushing offense both years (258.1 ypg in 2016 and 307.4 ypg in 2017). The success has come despite the fact that the Jackets have been forced to use 14 different combinations of starting offensive linemen over the course of past two seasons due to injuries.

In addition to leading the ACC and finishing fifth in all of NCAA Division I FBS in rushing offense in 2017, the Yellow Jackets featured two 1,000-yard rushers for only the second time in school history (TaQuon Marshall – 1,146 and KirVonte Benson – 1,053) and set a school record with four 400-yard rushing games on the season.

West joined Georgia Tech’s coaching staff in 2016 after two years (2013-14) at North Carolina, where he served as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

However, his extensive coaching resume includes 17 years coaching offensive lines, including stints at North Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, Tulane and Clemson.

During his four years at Baylor, West worked for head coach Chuck Reedy, who employed an option-oriented offense, and helped the Bears win a share of the Southwest Conference title in 1994. Current Georgia Tech inside linebackers coach Andy McCollum was also a member of Reedy’s staff at Baylor.

At Tulane, West helped guide the Green Wave to a perfect 12-0 season in 1998.

Ten years of his career were spent at Clemson (1999-2008). He joined the Tigers’ staff in 1999 as offensive line coach, moved to the defensive line in 2004 and spent his final four years with the Tigers coaching outside linebackers.

In 2006, West coached one of the greatest players in Clemson history, the late Gaines Adams – the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Adams was named to all five all-America teams in 2006 and was recognized as one of seven unanimous first-team All-Americans that year.

Since leaving Clemson, West coached on the defensive side of the ball at Tulsa (2009), Illinois (2010-11) and Arizona State (2012) before landing at North Carolina in 2013.

West attended high school at nearby Russell High School (now Tri-Cities) in East Point, Ga.. At Russell H.S., West was high school classmates with Tom Cooksey, a Georgia Tech nose guard from 1976-80 and the father of current Yellow Jacket Tyler Cooksey.

West began his collegiate career at Marion Military Institute in Marion, Ala. before transferring to Clemson prior to his junior campaign. At Clemson, West was a reserve offensive lineman in 1977 and 1978. He started two games as a senior and helped the Tigers post an 11-1 record and earn a No. 6 national ranking in the final Associated Press poll of the season.

After graduating from Clemson in 1979, he began his coaching career as offensive line coach at North Texas in 1980. In addition to his 17 seasons as an offensive line coach, West boasts 12 years as a coordinator — 11 on the defensive side of the ball and one on offense.

West and his wife Becky have two adult children, Brad and Lori, and two grandchildren, Wyatt and Lily.