Clemson Announces Key Coaching Changes Following Down Year

After a dissapointing year for the Clemson Tigers, including a bowl game loss, Dabo Swinney is making key changes to his staff

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is ready to shake things up after a lost season | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co Inc SC / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fresh off the program’s worst season in nearly two decades, the Clemson Tigers football program is making significant changes.

In a statement released by head coach Dabo Swinney, Clemson announced that offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and co-defensive coordinator Mickey Conn will not return to the coaching staff next season.

Riley arrived at Clemson in 2023 as one of the most sought-after offensive minds in the sport, coming off a Broyles Award-winning season at TCU that culminated in a national championship appearance in 2022.

“At the end of the day, we just did not get the production and the results that we needed, and I just feel like it is time for a change, and so we will be moving in a different direction with a new offensive coordinator.”

The 36-year-old was even viewed as a potential head coaching candidate after helping lead Clemson to the College Football Playoff last season, but the Tigers offense seemed to take a step back this year.

Clemson averaged just 27.2 points per game this season, ranking 10th in the ACC, and finished tied for seventh in the conference in total offense at 392.2 yards per game.

“This was a very difficult decision,” Swinney said. “We just did not get the production and the results that we needed, and I just feel like it is time for a change.”

Conn has been coaching at Clemson since 2016, helping the Tigers win two National Championships over the course of his ten seasons with the team.

He is a longtime friend of Swinney, with the two having met as teammates at the University of Alabama in 1990.

“I’m forever grateful for Mickey and all the outstanding players he’s coached and all the memorable wins and championships we’ve earned together in the last decade,” Swinney said.

Clemson’s defensive backfield was a clear weakness throughout the 2025 season. According to Pro Football Focus, the Tigers finished with just the eighth-best coverage grade in the ACC.

They also ranked in the top half of the conference in passing yards allowed, giving up 251.2 yards per game through the air.

Unlike Riley’s departure, Swinney hinted that Conn may have another opportunity awaiting him elsewhere.

“I’m excited for upcoming opportunities he may have to go and call a defense and take the next step in his career,” Swinney said.

While the 54-year-old assistant is yet to make an official announcement about his future, Conn’s Wikipedia page already lists him as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Samford University. 

He would be joining several other former Clemson coaches and staffers at Samford, including former analyst John Grass, who has taken over as the Bulldogs’ head coach.