Morris will be tasked with rebuilding the offense from the ground up.
Courtesy of Clemson Athletics
CLEMSON — The Tigers are making changes inside of their football program and the first puzzle piece is in place. Clemson and head coach Dabo Swinney officially announced that Chad Morris will be the offensive coordinator for the 2026 season and foreseeable future.
Morris and Clemson made it official on January 5th after signing a three-year deal that’s worth $3.6 million. He will replace Garrett Riley who was fired after three seasons. Morris served as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator from 2011-14. He then served as the head coach for SMU from 2015-17 and for Arkansas from 2017-19. He spent a year as Auburn’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2020. He spent a few years bouncing around as an offensive analysts for various programs including Clemson in 2023 before his official return back to Death Valley.
“My previous time in this role at Clemson was truly one of the most joyful periods of my career,” Morris said. “It excites me to have the opportunity to come back under circumstances that feel very similar to where we were in 2011 and where we are now in 2026. I can’t thank Coach Swinney, Graham Neff, and the Board of Trustees enough for this opportunity.”
Riley’s offense in 2025 averaged 27.2 points per game and 399.2 yards per game, which was 60th and tied for 68th for all of FBS schools in the country. They also averaged 278.3 passing yards per game, which was 20th in the country, and 120.9 rushing yards per game, which was 109 in all of FBS.
They were inconsistent and under performed after having the most returning starters in all of FBS on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Senior quarterback Cade Klubnik came into the season as one of the top prospects for his position, but he also under performed this season.
The Tigers offense was simply underwhelming, struggled to run the football consistently, couldn’t sustain drives and struggled in the red zone. Despite the Clemson offensive line improving as a pass protection unit in 2025, but the Clemson wide receiver group was also a let down especially on third down. The Tigers went from converting 44 percent on third down in 2024 to just 34 percent in 2025.
Antonio Williams went down early in the year versus LSU and eventually did return, but his presence was surely missed. TJ Moore did have a better year statistically in 2025 but it often seem his impact was minimal. Bryant Wesco Jr. numbers were also down after having a breakout freshman campaign.
Morris will be tasked with rebuilding the offense from the ground up as Klubnik and Williams will likely leave for the NFL Draft but neither has made official announcements yet. Leading rusher Keith Adams Jr. has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. So far, that is the only notable departures as of now but the NCAA Transfer Portal officially opened on January 2 and will close on January 16.
Reach Greg Hollis @ 803-768-3119 or on X @TheNBOnews