Thomas Austin
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Career Summary
Thomas Austin was a Clemson offensive lineman who played in the NFL before becoming a college coach.
Thomas Austin starred on Clemson's offensive line, played four NFL seasons with Houston, Carolina and Indianapolis, and later returned to coaching.
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Early Life
Austin was a native of Camden, South Carolina.
Clemson listed Austin as a native of Camden, South Carolina.
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High School
The reviewed official sources do not establish Austin's high-school football record.
No high-school achievements are stated here because the official sources reviewed for this package focus on Austin's Clemson, NFL and coaching career.
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College Career
Austin was a two-time All-ACC lineman and team captain at Clemson.
Austin appeared in 48 games and made 39 starts at Clemson, including each of his final 38 games. He earned All-ACC honors in 2008 and 2009, was a 2009 co-captain and helped power C.J. Spiller's Clemson career.
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Path to the NFL
Austin entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent after Clemson.
Austin went undrafted after his Clemson senior season, made New England's roster as a free agent, and later played in the NFL with Houston, Carolina and Indianapolis.
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NFL Career
Austin played four NFL seasons with Houston, Carolina and Indianapolis.
Houston signed Austin to its active roster in September 2011. He also played for Carolina and joined Indianapolis in 2013, when the Colts moved him between the active roster and practice squad.
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Career Accomplishments
Austin was a third-team All-American and five-time ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week.
Austin earned Sporting News third-team All-America honors in 2009 and was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week five times during his Clemson career.
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Playing Style
Austin played both guard and center and was known for dependable blocking.
Austin started at guard and center in college, where he totaled 316 career knockdown blocks. Houston listed him as a guard in its 2011 offensive-line group.
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Legacy
Austin was a key leader on Clemson's 2009 ACC Championship Game team.
Austin captained Clemson's 2009 team, which went 9-5 and reached the ACC Championship Game in Dabo Swinney's first full season.
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Post-Career
Austin built a coaching career at Clemson and Georgia State.
Austin began coaching at Clemson in 2015, worked as Georgia State's offensive-line coach in 2019 and 2020, returned to Clemson in 2021, and became Clemson's offensive-line coach in 2022.
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Sources for this section
23014, 00-0027385, 1986-11-14, Thomas Austin, Thomas, Austin
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