How Tahj Boyd's Experience in Chad Morris' Offense Is Benefiting Clemson's QBs

It’s not too often that a program has a quarterback coach who ran the same system in their playing days, but the Clemson Tigers aren’t exactly like other programs.

Tahj Boyd spent three seasons as Clemson’s starting signal caller running offensive coordinator Chad Morris’ offense, throwing for 11,904 passing yards and 107 total touchdowns — both school records — while earning ACC Player of the Year honors in 2012.

Now, with Morris back at Clemson following the firing of offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, Boyd is coaching the quarterbacks and running the same system.

On Monday, projected starter Christopher Vizzina was asked about how that first-hand experience of Boyd’s has helped him understand the system more as they dive deeper into spring ball, and he had nothing but good words to say about the situation and his coach.

“Tahj has always been there for me,” he began. “But to see it now and have a very similar system the way he ran, and watching him do it on the screen while we’re going into film and him talking about, ‘Well, I was thinking this.’ I don’t know how many teams in the country can have a quarterback coach that played in the same system and you can watch them do it on the screen. So, that means a lot.”

Sophomore quarterback Chris Denson — who is also fighting for the starting spot — echoed a similar sentiment.

“Yeah, I mean, in meetings, he can kind of explain it better because he’s been in that situation, and he’s been where we’re at in Coach Morris’ offense,” Denson stated. “For him to be able to go up and explain it and tell us what he was thinking and why he was thinking that, it really helps.”

Obviously, Boyd’s knowledge of the offensive system is a huge help for a lot of guys on the team, and especially the quarterbacks, but it also goes beyond the field. Vizzina continued to rave not only about the type of coach Boyd is — and has been since he stepped on campus — but also about who he is as a person.

“Coach Boyd like I mean, he’s been like my coach, my personal coach since I got here from day one,” Vizzina said. “We’re still building a relationship, but you know, when he became the quarterback coach, I knew that he was ready for it, and I have my full trust in him because of all the time we spent with each other.”

“Another thing is that he really cares to get to know us off the field, too. He wants to go eat with us and hang out with us. I think that just means the world to all of us because he’s just the type of coach that you would want to do that with.”

That personal investment is something Denson knows well, too. During his promising true freshman season, Boyd was already hands-on with the dual-threat signal caller, building a foundation long before he held the title of quarterbacks coach.

The sophomore still made sure to give credit to the staff as a whole for helping with his growth, including offensive analyst Cole Stoudt, who also played quarterback under Morris from 2011 to 2014.

“Tahj was a big help. Also, Cole Stoudt was right there. I mean, everybody was really helping me to get where I wanted to be,” he praised. “This is a place where everybody is kind of trying to push everybody, and I told them what I wanted, and they’re helping me get there. But, yeah, Tahj is a big help. He just knew what I needed to work on, and we hit that on the head.”