Clemson Bringing Back Offensive Coordinator From Early in Dabo Swinney’s Tenure

The Tigers are reportedly heading back to the future.

Chad Morris helped jump start Clemson's success, and coach Dabo Swinney seems to believe Morris can help him recapture the magic of his early tenure. / Joshua S. Kelly-Imagn Images

The early years of Clemson football under coach Dabo Swinney were an exciting time—after years of underachievement, one of the ACC’s cornerstone programs finally felt urgent again. Orange Bowl trips in 2011 and ‘13 turned into a national championship berth in ’15, and the rest is history.

Now, with the Tigers' fortunes flagging in 2026, Swinney is reportedly bringing back a linchpin of that era. Clemson is hiring former offensive coordinator Chad Morris to his old position, according to a Saturday afternoon report from ESPN's Pete Thamel (as first reported by On3’s Larry Williams).

The move is a curious one in multiple respects. Morris, 57, has bounced around quite a bit in recent years after largely flopping as a head coach with SMU and Arkansas. He worked as Texas State’s wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator in 2025—a season where he was in the news more for being the father of Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris.

Garrett Riley—the younger brother of USC coach Lincoln Riley—previously served as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator from 2023 to ’25, having obtained that position after helping mastermind TCU’s Fiesta Bowl victory and national championship game trip in ‘22.

Clemson, which went 7–6 this season for its worst record since 2010, is scheduled to open ’26 against LSU on Sept. 5.

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