On Monday Night, Dabo Swinney started off what's going to be an offseason filled with changes as he fired offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. The decision comes on the heels of the Tigers managing just 10 points in the Pinstripe Bowl against Penn State with Cade Klubnik in the lineup.
BREAKING: Clemson has fired offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, @TIinClemson reports. https://t.co/d52NW2n19H pic.twitter.com/3XHcFvTDQj
— On3 (@On3sports) December 29, 2025
The Clemson Tigers decided to hire Garrett Riley in 2022 after firing offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter. Garett Riley was fresh off his incredible season at TCU, where the Horned Frogs averaged 38.8 points per game which ranked 9th in the Country earning Garrett Riley the Broyles Award.
The pairing between Clemson and Garrett Riley never worked out for some odd reason, as he had all the talent in the world to work with. During his three seasons as Clemson's offensive coordinator, the Tigers offense ranked 52nd, 18th, and 65th in scoring offense.
The only explanation for the pairing not working out is the fact that Clemson was getting a different coach than the one they thought they hired. Riley had put together back-to-back incredible seasons as SMU and TUC, but it's hard not to look back at the talent those teams had and think that maybe the playcaller got too much credit.
At SMU, the Mustangs finished Top 15 in Total Offense and Scoring offense in both seasons with Garrett Riley calling plays. One season came during the pandemic shortened season which is hard to judge as no one played true road gams while had a great team with NFL talents in Rashee Rice and Grant Calcaterra.
The season Garrett Riley spent at TCU was lightning in a bottle for everyone as the team never came close to reaching the same level.
The reason that the Clemson offense never lived up to the hype under Garrett Riley has to be the fact that he didn't develop a quarterback to the level he did everywhere else. At SMU, Shane Buchele and Tanner Mordecai looked like great quarterbacks making Riley look like a quarterback whisperer. When he worked his magic again with Max Duggan, it seemed certain that his quarterback would always be top tier.
Instead, Garrett Riley was given a 5-star recruit to work with in Cade Klubnik and he never developed. Klubnik was talked about as a Heisman front runner and a potential 1st Round Pick, but he never grew which is in part on Riley.
In the end, the decision will end up benefitting both parties. Garrett Riley will get a fresh start and likely this offseason while Clemson gets to shake up the offense after a middling run.