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Now in his third year as an Assistant Coach with the Clemson women's tennis program, Darrell Jernigan has been instrumental in the Tigers' continued success on the court and on the recruiting trail. Clemson has been ranked in the top 20 in each of his two seasons, while the signing classes remain strong with exceptionally talented players.
No stranger to Clemson, Jernigan has been active with the Tiger program for over a decade, 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.
"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."
"Coach Jernigan is going to always make our program stronger and more sought after by all young people looking for a great opportunity to play college tennis at the highest level. "
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. For their lone signee for the 2008 season, Jernigan helped the Tigers land local player Laurianne Henry. Henry was a Blue Chip recruit who was ranked as high as #3 in the Tennis RPI and 11th in the United States.
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.
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 season, 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 (10) and Riley (6).
