Death Valley’s roars turned to boos as Clemson’s offense ranked 62nd in yards and 72nd in points. This prompted head coach Dabo Swinney to make a tough call and fire offensive coordinator Garrett Riley after the 2025 collapse. Dabo Swinney has finally broken his silence over the firing while sharing a positive message after bringing back ex-Tigers play-caller Chad Morris to revive the sputtering attack.

“There are always tough decisions that have to be made in this profession, and though I had to make a couple of tough decisions, it was an easy decision to hire Chad Morris,” Swinney said in an official press release. “I think we’ve got some elite offensive personnel, and the name of the game is points. The one thing I know about Chad, he knows how to score points, and so I’m excited to welcome him and his family back.”

Clemson is making a big gamble with its offense under Chad Morris. Signed for 3 years for an annual salary of $1.2 million, the new OC now has to orchestrate a massive comeback. Morris has only worked in minimal roles as of late, and last worked in an advisory role at Virginia. Swinney has an extremely positive outlook on Morris taking charge.

Swinney will count on Chad Morris’ familiarity with the Clemson offense. The Tigers’ most glorious run came with the latter as OC, who designed some of the most explosive offenses in the country. From 2018 to 2020, Clemson was a Top-10 team in scoring offense, averaging 44.3, 43.9, and 43.5 points in those years. This season, Garret Riley’s offense was scoring only 27.2 points per game. Offense has always been Clemson’s identity during its domination, and that is what gave out this season.

Morris was also instrumental in the development of star QB Deshaun Watson, which is something that Clemson needs immediately. The offensive strategies did Cade Klubnik extremely badly this season, who was touted as a potential top draft pick. He’s no Watson or Trevor Lawrence, but he was still an impactful player who was wasted. Klubnik also struggled because of the failures of the receivers and the offensive line, which will also need to change under Morris. With him in play, Clemson needs to return to a level of offense that practically built its brand.

As Swinney begins rebuilding the Clemson offense with his new OC, he will also have to attack one key problem area: offensive recruiting. Both Morris and Riley went along with the program norm of focusing on high-school talent and nurturing them as impact players. Under Morris, Clemson was able to bring in Lawrence, WR Tee Higgins, RB Travis Etienne, OT Mitch Hyatt, and other stars. But Riley struggled to get the top recruits. Clemson’s recruiting class has remained out of the top 10 since 2022.

Dabo Swinney desperately wants Clemson to reclaim its lost glory. Garrett Riley had a hand in the program becoming less of a threat in these past few years. How the offense operated under him was simply not Swinney’s or the Tigers’ standards. At the beginning of the season, Swinney claimed this year’s team was capable of going 15-0. Garrett Riley’s offensive failures forced him to explain a 7-5 record, and that’s why he had to go. With Chandler Morris in place, Clemson has a new hope.

Since the veteran OC is back in business, is there a chance of some more greatness following him to Death Valley?

Can Clemson’s new offense be led with one of Chad Morris’ own?

Chad Morris reduced his duties in recent years to watch his son, Chandler Morris, play. But with the former’s decision to come back to Clemson, the road to having Chandler in purple and orange also opens up. He has already entered the transfer portal after a historic 11-3 season at Virginia. Dabo Swinney is in desperate need of a good QB, and a solution is right under his nose.

Chandler became a game changer for the Cavaliers, hauling in 3,245 offensive yards and 21 total touchdowns. He was a semi-finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award and has easily become a top prospect for many P4 programs. There’s also the matter of his eligibility, because the QB is seeking a waiver to play his seventh season. Clemson is not a fan of the transfer portal, but it is high time they dip more than just their toes in it. The father-son duo could hit it off and at least put Clemson back on the map, even if it is just for one year.

Chad Morris has already done what the program asks of him now. But he’ll need the level of talent also to return to make his offense work. Fans can only hope that the elite OC is the key that helps Clemson unlock some much-needed success.

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