Joe Davis is in his sixth season as Clemson’s Assistant Coach for Pole Vault, High Jump and Multis in 2026-27. A former Virginia Tech standout and Clemson graduate assistant, Davis returned to the Tigers after coaching at Texas A&M-Commerce and Western Carolina. He first joined the Clemson program in 2015 as a graduate assistant and later served as a part-time assistant before becoming a full-time coach.
Davis helped Clemson’s field-event group produce a strong 2025-26 season. In the high jump, Shyhiem Scotland won the ACC Indoor Championship, while Brandon Pottinger won the ACC Outdoor Championship and Jacob Carruthers finished third outdoors. Clemson also placed Scotland and Pottinger first and second at the ACC Indoor Championships. In the pole vault, Matthew Phillips recorded a personal-best clearance of 5.00 meters indoors.
Davis also guided athletes in the multis events, including Dillon Kaulback, who placed 10th in the decathlon at the ACC Outdoor Championships with 6,496 points. His athletes contributed to Clemson’s broader championship success as the women won the 2026 ACC Outdoor Championship and the men finished fourth.
In his first season as a full-time coach, Davis coached Harleigh White to the ACC Outdoor Championship in the triple jump and a runner-up finish indoors. He also guided Kenya Livingston to third in the indoor high jump, Sofia De Coteau to a personal-best 1.73-meter high jump that ranked seventh in Clemson history, and Alison D’Alessandro to an indoor school-record pole-vault clearance of 4.11 meters. Davis has taken particular pride in the development of student-athletes such as White and walk-on multi-event athlete Areya Campbell, who competed in the ACC Heptathlon.
Davis was a two-time First Team All-American in the pole vault at Virginia Tech, earning the honor in 2011 and 2012. As a walk-on, he scored 38 points at ACC Championship meets during his four-year career and remains among the top 10 vaulters in Virginia Tech history outdoors.
Davis began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Virginia Tech shortly after graduating in 2012 with a degree in Natural Resources Conservation. He later earned a master’s degree in Athletic Leadership from Clemson. A native of Sarasota, Florida, Davis lives with his wife, Morgan, and their daughter, Emerson.