The Trojan family just added a member of a national championship team to its coaching staff. Former Clemson quarterback Ben Batson has taken over as the Northwestern Athletics head strength coach, which is a key position in the coaching team. Though he once made plays from behind center, his latest chapter will involve building the foundation off the field, developing players in the weight room, and setting the tone for the program’s culture as the Trojans gear up to get the better of the other high school programs.

Batson started his football journey back in 2018 after close to 3,000 total yards in his senior year at Dorman High. He arrived at Clemson and was a reserved QB, behind Trevor Lawrence and Chase Brice, but a dynamic entry, one might say. The Clemson squad went undefeated (15-0) and bagged the natty that year. To get back into action, Batson transitioned from QB to safety and appeared in 12 games. He played special teams and took situational snaps at quarterback. He was part of the 14-1 team that made it back to the National Championship game.

Sadly, his college career came to an end in 2020 after he suffered a serious concussion, which forced him to retire early. Rather than being devastated about the situation he was in, Batson changed the entire script of his future. Batson’s father, Joey Batson, was a well-known figure in the Clemson athletic program, having spent nearly 30 years as the head strength coach of the Tigers. Naturally, he entered the family legacy and became a student strength and conditioning coach under his father at Clemson.

He graduated from Clemson in 2021 with a degree in mass communication and transitioned to a proper strength coach. In 2022, Batson landed an internship with Georgia State to build his resume while learning the demands of developing college athletes.

After learning the traits, the former QB came back to his alma mater as an Assistant Director of Football Strength & Conditioning. He stayed for 3 seasons after deciding it was time to take up a new opportunity and the next step in an advanced role. A new opportunity presented itself at Northwestern High School, and this time as a head strength coach, allowing him to lead a program. He proved himself during his time at Clemson, as he developed 24 players who went on to play in the NFL. Out of these five were picked in the first round. With the experience he has had, Batson would be someone who could bring some big changes to the high school program.

More about Ben Batson’s life

Batson played three seasons as the starting quarterback at Daniel High School before transferring to Dorman High School for a massive senior year in 2017. He accumulated 2,993 total yards and 26 total touchdowns in his last season alone, leading Dorman to a 12-3 record.

The Clemson native is married to his wife, Rachel. Joey Batson, Ben’s father and a legendary figure in college football, officially retired from Clemson University at the end of the 2025 college football season. Initially, he announced his retirement earlier that year, but stayed on for the sake of the team so they wouldn’t suffer mid-season.

“You just know when you know… I felt like we’ve had a phenomenal run here under Coach Swinney, and just felt like it was time to turn it over,” said Joey Batson.

Northwestern High School, known as the Trojans, is one of the most respected and dominant high school athletic programs in South Carolina. It will be interesting to watch him gain exposure and train elite athletes for the future.