Dabo Swinney, Clemson make coaching changes after 7-6 season

Dabo Swinney has made some changes after the Clemson Tigers' disappointing 7-6 season in 2025.

Swinney has apparently decided that the best thing to do is fire offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and safeties coach Mickey Conn.

Riley, 36, was at one time thought of as one of the top young offensive minds in college football. The younger brother of USC head coach Lincoln Riley, he had two years remaining on his contract after he was hired away from TCU in 2023.

"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," Swinney said in a statement, per Andrea Adelson of ESPN. "Garrett is smart, he's got great work ethic and he's a great coach, but it just didn't work like we both wanted. He's got an amazing career ahead and he'll be a great head coach in the future."

Clemson's offense ranked No. 62 in the country in total offense this past season. The Tigers averaged 392.2 yards per game and 27.2 points per game.

Those don't sound like awful numbers, but they are when you realize that their yards per game ranked seventh in the ACC, and points per game were ranked 10th.

Clemson Tigers move on from offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and safeties coach Mickey Conn

Perhaps most damning for Riley was the fact that quarterback Cade Klubnik went from a player many thought could go No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft to a quarterback who was decidedly middling. He finished with 2,943 yards and 16 touchdowns compared to six interceptions.

As far as Conn is concerned, he has been on Swinney's staff since 2016. The Tigers allowed 11 passing plays of 40-plus yards and seven passing plays of 50-plus yards in 2025, though, so perhaps it was time for him to go.

Swinney made it sound like he's doing his long-time assistant a favor, though.

"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. "I am excited about the plan we have in place for our secondary and our defensive staff, and I am looking forward to identifying the right leader for our offense to help achieve our goals for 2026 and beyond."

Speaking of "the right leader," is Swinney the right leader to take Clemson back up the mountaintop in the NIL and transfer portal era? This season would suggest that's not the case, but for now, he's found a few scapegoats to take the heat off him.