Furman head football coach Clay Hendrix announced Monday that he will conclude his Paladin coaching career at the end of the 2026 season. The Commerce, Ga., native is in his 10th season as head coach and 29th year of service to his alma mater.
Hendrix informed Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Jason Donnelly of the decision and then met with his team before making the announcement public. No successor has been named.
“This is a decision that LeeAnn and I have given a tremendous amount of time and thought, and one of my most intense concerns – frankly, the one at the top of my list all along – has been to do what is best for Furman Football, which has been and will forever be part of my core,” Hendrix said. “I am excited about finishing this season with this group of players, but I believe now is the best time to do this to help Furman transition to the next chapter of Paladin Football.”
Donnelly praised Hendrix’s impact across multiple eras of the program.
“Few individuals have shaped Furman Football as profoundly as Clay Hendrix,” Donnelly said. “As a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach, Clay has helped carry forward a proud tradition while building his own legacy through his tremendous character, leadership, and commitment to developing young men. His impact extends well beyond the field — in the lives of those he has mentored, the relationships he has built, and the pride he has inspired across the Furman community. We are deeply grateful to Clay and his wife, LeeAnn, for their extraordinary dedication to Furman. He will always be a Paladin, and his influence will endure through the generations of student-athletes and coaches who carry his example forward.”
As head coach, Hendrix holds a 62-49 overall record and a 46-28 mark in Southern Conference play. He led the Paladins to SoCon titles in 2018 and 2023, along with FCS playoff appearances in 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2023. Furman went 10-3 in both 2022 and 2023 and reached the playoff quarterfinals in the latter season. Hendrix was named SoCon Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2023 and also earned AFCA Region II Coach of the Year honors in 2023.
Before taking over as head coach in December 2016, Hendrix spent 19 seasons (1988-2006) as Furman’s offensive line coach, including five years as assistant head coach. During that stretch the Paladins went 155-77-1 overall, won six SoCon titles and made 11 FCS playoff appearances. He was on staff for the program’s 1988 national championship (a 17-12 win over Georgia Southern that made Furman the first SoCon program and first private school to claim the I-AA title) and for the 2001 national runner-up campaign. Between his Furman assistant and head coaching stints he spent a decade on Troy Calhoun’s staff at Air Force.
As a player, Hendrix was a four-year letterman and three-year starter at offensive guard for Dick Sheridan from 1982-85. Furman went 39-10-1 in those seasons, claimed SoCon titles in 1982, 1983 and 1985, and finished as national runner-up in Hendrix’s senior year. The Paladins also recorded wins over South Carolina, Georgia Tech and N.C. State during his playing career. Across his roles as player, assistant and head coach, Hendrix has been part of 11 of Furman’s SoCon-record 15 conference championships.
Furman is 2-6 overall and 1-3 in SoCon play entering the final four games of Hendrix’s tenure. The Paladins host Western Carolina this Saturday at Paladin Stadium, then travel to The Citadel (Nov. 7), host Chattanooga (Nov. 14) and close at VMI (Nov. 21).
The announcement creates an opening at one of the Southern Conference’s traditional programs. Hendrix, 63, returns the program to a search process after a decade that included multiple conference titles, four playoff berths and a return to consistent national relevance following a lean stretch in the mid-2010s.