The 7-6 hangover forced Dabo Swinney to shake things up. So, he had to bring Chad Morris back to Death Valley. Once an offensive analyst in 2023, Morris now returns with a promotion as offensive coordinator. Stepping into his old squad, Morris admitted how his job will be full of obstacles and broke down the real reason why Swinney’s offense lost its charm.

“It was the little things, just the little intricate details that might have been overlooked,” Morris said on February 27. “There was a series of things, but it was little things. It’s the little things every day that add up over time, and so that’s my challenge. Nothing is gonna slide. From the staff to the players, nothing slides.” 

What makes Morris say it was the little things?

At first glance, the 2025 passing numbers for the Clemson Tigers do not look disastrous. The unit that Morris will be taking over came up with 3,481 yards, 22 touchdowns, and a 65.1% completion rate across 13 games. If that looks solid, we need to examine the situational splits that expose the hairline cracks that were the root cause of the offense’s struggles.

The first obstacle that Morris would face is to fix the post-halftime dip. Clemson’s first-half numbers were smooth with 67.2% completion rate, 14 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. But after halftime? The precision dipped to 62.7%, and the touchdown-to-interception ratio tightened at 8-to-5. It is indicative of an offense that had trouble adjusting when defenses tightened the reins. 

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Along with it, third down is where offenses earn their stripes. But in the case of Clemson, Morris can’t count on the offense in those situations. Overall, the completion rate sits at a solid 61.1%. However, on 3rd-and-7 to 9 yards, the completion rate falls to 47.6%. And in the case of 3rd-and-10-plus situations, it’s 63.6% with zero touchdowns. 

All this came from a program that, heading into the season, was the runaway favorite to own the ACC. They were expected to lock up the automatic College Football Playoff berth. The factors that led to such high expectations, you may ask? They brought back 80% of their production, a loaded 85% on offense, and Cade Klubnik was pegged for a breakout campaign. However, it did not take long for their bubble to get popped.

Back in October, standing at 1-3, they ranked last in the ACC in points per game with 19.8. It was even a tougher pill for them to swallow, as cupcake programs like Stanford, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina were in a better position than Swinney’s offense. The Tar Heels were two spots above them, averaging 21.0 points a game, that too under debut head coach Bill Belichick. 

Even before Morris, an analyst had exposed the bitter reality. 

“When costly turnovers, penalties, and offensive execution are the biggest issues, it’s hard to call the season a success,” CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson said. 

With all these obstacles in the way, can Morris help resurrect Swinney’s offense?

Chad Morris’ last Clemson Tigers chapter offers hope for a turnaround

When Morris ran Clemson’s offense from 2011 through the 2014 regular season, the Tigers were rolling. In four seasons under Morris, Clemson’s offense had hit all the right marks. They averaged 468.5 yards and 36.3 points per game across 52 contests, finishing top-12 nationally in both categories among power conference teams.

Talking about the balance? It was elite. Clemson became one of just five teams in the country during that stretch to eclipse 15,000 passing yards and 8,500 rushing yards. However, to fix the little things that held back Swinney’s offense from chasing success, Morris will need a good quarterback who can process blitzes faster and have situational IQ. 

Surprisingly, he and the head coach took the risk of sitting idle during the transfer portal season by not landing any quarterback. That’s because their quarterback room is already overcrowded. But is talent there?

“I believe we have five guys who can play quarterback at this level. We haven’t always had that,” said Swinney. 

So the task is simple. Dabo Swinney isn’t asking Chad Morris to rebuild the house. Just dial up the right calls and fix “the little things,” and get Clemson back in shape.