Clemson Lets Go of Garrett Riley

On the night of Monday, December 29th, Clemson offensive Coordinator Garrett Riley was let go from the program. This came after the Tigers’ disappointing 7-6 finish in 2025. The season was capped off with a 22-10 loss to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl. The writing seemed to be on the wall following the loss, after another lackluster offensive performance.

Clemson had 239 yards of total offense in the Bowl game, 161 yards less than the Nittany Lions. The Tigers also ran the ball for just 43 yards. This poor performance on the ground was not uncommon in Riley’s tenure. It was something head coach Dabo Swinney voiced his frustration about more than once this season. That dissatisfaction has come to a head, as Swinney begins the search for a new offensive

Clemson Fires Garrett Riley

Garrett Riley’s Hire

Riley joined the Clemson coaching staff following the 2022 football season. He was fresh off a National Championship appearance with TCU, where he also won the Broyles award the same year.

In 2022, the Hornfrogs scored 38.8 points per game and had the most plays of 50+ yards in the FBS. That explosiveness is what many felt the Tigers’ offense was lacking before Riley was hired.

Riley also coached Max Duggan to being named the 2022 Davey O’Brien award winner, as well as a Heisman finalist. So, expectations were extremely high, knowing Riley would now be coaching a former five-star recruit at quarterback, Cade Klubnik.

Garrett Riley’s Tenure

Things did not get off to a hot start for Riley, Klubnik, or any part of the Clemson offense. The Tigers put up just seven points in the first game of 2023. They lost to Duke 28-7 on the road. This would be the first of three straight losses on opening week in Riley’s time in Clemson.

In fact, the Tigers didn’t score more than one touchdown in the first game of any season with Riley as the playcaller. What makes that stat worse is that Klubnik looked bad in all of them, too. In three opening-week starts, Klubnik threw just one touchdown and three interceptions. Clemson has consistently looked unprepared on offense for the first game of the year. That is where the consistency ended for the Tigers offensively under Riley.

Klubnik suffered from the lack of steadiness, having games where he looked like one of the best quarterbacks in college football, such as against Florida State. Then, a few games later, he’ll look like he did in the Bowl game. However, the run game is where Riley’s inconsistency was most evident.

The Tigers haven’t averaged more than 175 rushing yards per game in a season with Riley leading the offense. Not even when he had the duo of Will Shipley and Phil Mafah in his first year. Mafah rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2024, yet Clemson had only six games with over 200 yards rushing. It had zero with 300+ yards on the ground last season.

The best example of this inconsistent run game was in the Pinstripe Bowl. Running back Adam Randall had 24 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown in Clemson’s last regular-season game. Against Penn State, though, in a match with temperatures as low as 35 degrees, Randall ran the ball just 11 times for 35 yards and a touchdown. This ultimately led to Swinney moving on from Riley.

Young Potential Candidates

One name that has quickly emerged as a top candidate to lead the Tigers’ offense is Duke offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer. Brewer now has two Conference championships as an offensive coordinator. Most recently with the Blue Devils this season, and previously with SMU while it was still a part of the American Conference in 2023. Duke quarterback Darian Mensah finished his first season of Power Conference football as the ACC passing leader under Brewer’s coaching. Brewer has a background in developing quarterbacks, which will be crucial since the Tigers will have a new starting quarterback in 2026.

Another name that has been mentioned is Joey Halzle. The Tennessee offensive coordinator may be tough to pry from Josh Heupel, who was Halzle’s quarterback coach when he played. It’d be an excellent hire for Swinney, though. Halzle is also seen as a quarterback developer. He has been the Vols quarterback coach since 2021 and took over playcalling duties in 2023. His offense has been among the top 15 in the FBS in points and total offense over the past two seasons. This year, Tennessee ranked fourth in total offense, averaging 482 yards per game. The Vols are also sixth in points, with 40.8 per game.

More Experienced Potential Candidates

The word going around recently is that Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken is looking to return to the college level. The Clemson job could interest him. Monken has 37 years of coaching experience. In 2024, his unit led the NFL in total offense, rushing offense, and red zone efficiency. All areas the Tigers need to improve. Before returning to the NFL, Monken served as the offensive playcaller for Georgia from 2020 to 2022. He won two straight National Championships with the Bulldogs and coached Stetson Bennet to become a Heisman finalist.

The younger Morris and Mestemaker played together in 2024. If the Tigers can leverage that relationship to grab Mestemaker out of the transfer portal, it’ll be the biggest portal acquisition ever for Swinney.