By Mark Pszonak
College programs from coast-to-coast are currently holding their annual Pro Days for NFL scouts, in preparation of April’s Draft. One major stop for the national tour is Clemson, which saw scouts from all 32 teams and one head coach, Mike Tomlin, make the trip to Death Valley yesterday. This was expected. What is surprising to many is that NASCAR scouts were also in attendance.
Clemson says all 32 NFL teams are at today’s pro day. Steelers’ Mike Tomlin is the lone head coach.
NASCAR reps are also here looking for jackmen, fuel men, and the like. (Landon Walker, Sheridan Jones among those who have transitioned into racing crew work.)
— Jon Blau (@Jon_Blau) March 13, 2025
While this may be surprising for a large portion of the country, it actually isn’t a new occurrence as NASCAR teams have been known to use college football players as part of their pit crews. This includes three former Tigers, offensive lineman Landon Walker, linebacker Jonathan Willard and most recently, cornerback Sheridan Jones.
Being on a NASCAR pit crew is a physically rigorous job, which explains why adding young, athletic college football players to a team makes perfect sense. And while this likely wasn’t the dream of any Clemson player when they started their career with the Tigers’, it gives them a unique employment opportunity.