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Darrell Jernigan, now in his fifth year as an assistant women's tennis coach at Clemson, has helped the Tigers to achieve a presence on the national tennis stage and recruit high-profile talent. Clemson has been ranked in the top 20 in each of his four seasons, and the Tigers have brought in solid recruiting classes since his arrival.
"With Coach Jernigan at my side, day in and day out, our program has a tremendous solid base," said Harris. "From recruiting, to practice, to the court in competition I have such a fine person that I can count on to support our student-athletes and myself."
"He has a great worth ethic and comes to work with a smile everyday. "
Jernigan was instrumental in the signing of the 17th-rated class nationally in 2008, and has helped attract a pair of Blue Chip recruits from the Southeast in the past three years. The 2009 class was comprised of Keri Wong and Josipa Bek, both of whom went on to earn All-America status as rookies. Clemson's lone signee for the 2008 season was local talent Laurianne Henry, but even with just one player, the class ranked in the top 25. Henry was a Blue Chip recruit who was ranked as high as #3 in the Tennis RPI and 11th in the United States.
Jernigan helped Clemson bring in a five-member class for the 2007 season. Ani Mijacika and Ina Hadziselimovic have been recognized as two of the top junior players in the world, while Estefania Balda ranked #1 in South America.
He helped coach four players from the 2009 squad to All-America status, which was the most of any school nationally. The four honorees were also a program high and quite an accomplishment for a team with just eight members. In singles, the Tigers were the only team in the country to boast two players ranked in the top 15 during the regular season as Ani Mijacika remained a constant at the top of the polls and a stellar fall season quickly propelled Josipa Bek into the top 10. Both received bids to the NCAA Singles Championships and won their first-round matches. Bek reached the round of 16 in singles and advanced to the quarterfinals in the national doubles tournament with Ina Hadziselimovic to earn All-America status. Bek became the first freshman in school history to be named an All-American in singles and doubles.
In 2009, Jernigan was an active part of Clemson's third straight Sweet 16 appearance and the program's eighth consecutive NCAA tournament. The Tigers posted a 19-8 overall record and finished third in the ACC with a 9-2 record. They spent every week ranked in the top 15 and were ranked 11th in the final poll.
Jernigan helped the 2008 Tiger squad complete one of the greatest turn-arounds in program history, rallying from a 5-9 record on Mar. 22 to win the final seven matches of the regular season and the ACC Championship. The Tigers earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth consecutive season and played host to their fifth straight regional, advancing to the NCAA round of 16 for the fourth time in the last five years.
As the fourth seed, Clemson won the 2008 ACC title, knocking off the top two seeds in the tournament en route to the crown. The Tigers' win over number-one seed and second-ranked Georgia Tech in the semifinals was the program's great upset in history. Clemson was then ranked 13th in the final Fila/ITA Tennis poll.
Individually, Ani Mijacika made school history when she became the first Clemson tennis player, man or woman, to rise to the #1 national ranking. She spent every week of the spring in the poll's top five and finished the season at #2. Mijacika wasn't the only member of the team to earn accolades as Jernigan was named the ITA Southeast Region Assistant Coach-of-the-Year.
During 2007, Jernigan's second season, the Tigers claimed the ACC regular season co-championship and returned to the NCAA Round of 16. Clemson players Mijacika and Federica Van Adrichem earned doubles All-America honors, while the accolade was just one on a lengthy list for Mijacika. She was also named the ACC Freshman-of-the-Year and the ITA Southeast Region Rookie Player-of-the-Year, both were firsts for the Tiger program.
The 2007 squad set a record for consecutive weeks ranked in the top 10 in a single season with nine and posted seven wins over top 25 teams, second-most in school history. Clemson finished the season at #11 with a 22-5 overall record.
In his first season as a full-time coach at Clemson, Jernigan helped the Tigers reach their fifth straight NCAA Team Tournament appearance and earn the #18 final national ranking. An experienced educator, he helped lead a young 2006 team, which featured three freshmen and two sophomores, to a 17-8 overall record and a fourth-place finish in the ACC with an 8-3 conference ledger.
No stranger to Clemson, Jernigan has been active with the Tiger program for two decades, serving as an instructor at the Clemson Tiger Tennis Camps since 1988. In the summer of 2000, he became the director of the camp under current head coach Nancy Harris and remained in that position for five years. As the camp director, Jernigan was responsible for running the day-to-day operations, which included overseeing counselor duties, the payroll and parent contact, among other obligations.
Jernigan also played an active role in reviving the Clemson Youth Tennis Program from 1998-2000, a program that serves area junior players. He trained a large group of players and traveled with the more advanced athletes to various tournaments around South Carolina.
Prior to his hiring as the Clemson assistant coach, Jernigan taught sixth grade physical science at Stevens County Middle School in Toccoa, GA for the second half of the 2000-01 school year. He was then hired as a biology teacher at West-Oak High School in Seneca, SC in 2001 and served as the head of the science department until coming to Clemson.
While at West-Oak, Jernigan also coached the girls' and boys' tennis teams. In his only season leading the girls' team, the Warriors won the 2002 Skyline Conference Championship. Jernigan served as the coach of the men's team for five seasons, guiding the team to a conference championship in 2003-04. He was named the Region Coach-of-the-Year after that season.
Jernigan is from nearby Seneca, SC, where he was a member of the Seneca High School varsity tennis team. He continued his tennis career as a scholarship player at North Greenville College from 1991-1993, receiving an associate degree in biology.
From there, Jernigan attended Winthrop University and walked onto the Eagles' tennis team, playing until 1994.
He earned his a Bachelor of Science degree in Science Teaching-Biological Sciences from Clemson University in 2000.
Jernigan and his wife Frances have two children, Alexis (12) and Riley (8).
