Why Dabo Swinney rehired Chad Morris as Clemson OC and what to expect in 2026
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New Clemson football offensive coordinator Chad Morris shared his vision for the team’s offense in 2026.
“We are a two-back, run-oriented, play-action shot football team that’s gonna take great pride in pushing the ball down the field,” Morris said Jan. 23 when he was formally re-introduced. “We wanna push the ball down the field (25 yards) at least three times a quarter.
“Chart it, Let’s track it, figure it out, why it’s happening and get the ball to our playmakers.”
Clemson hired Morris as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator on Jan. 5. He replaced Garrett Riley, who was fired on Dec. 29 after three seasons. This will be Morris’ third stint with Clemson after being the team’s offensive coordinator from 2011-14 and returning to serve as an offensive analyst in 2023.
Clemson (7-6) had its second-worst season in Dabo Swinney‘s full 17 seasons as the Tigers missed the ACC championship and College Football Playoff in 2025 despite being preseason favorites to make both.
Swinney said Clemson’s biggest offensive issue in 2025 was scoring, running the ball and third-down conversions.
The Tigers’ offense regressed despite having senior quarterback Cade Klubnik, talented skill-position players and an experienced offensive line. The Tigers averaged 27.2 points (72nd in FBS); Last season, Clemson averaged 34.7 points (18th).
Clemson also averaged 124.5 rushing yards per game (105th) and was 60-of-175 (34.3%) on third downs (113th).
As a result, Morris was rehired by Swinney, who did a similar thing in 2011 after Clemson finished 6-7, the worst year in his tenure, after the 2010 season.
“I’ve gone back to the future with Chad Morris,” Swinney said. “I got old Marty McFly right here next to me, and I’ll just say this: the reasons that I hired Chad in 2011 are the exact same reasons that I’ve hired him.”
When Morris became Clemson’s offensive coordinator in 2011, he introduced a tempo, spread offense that featured motion and trick plays. After averaging 24 points (86th) in 2010 before his arrival, Clemson averaged 33.6 points (24th), which helped the Tigers win the ACC championship for the first time in 20 years.
Clemson went on to rank in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense, averaging 41 points (6th) in 2012 and 40.2 points (8th) in 2013. The Tigers offense regressed in 2014 though, averaging 30.8 (53rd).
Morris recognized going tempo all game won’t be beneficial as opposing defenses have caught on to it over the years. Still, he plans to have a mix of it.
He said he has learned from other coaches after his year off from coaching, including at Virginia where he watched his son Chandler Morris play in 2025.
“We had an incredible opportunity in 2011, and we closed the door and we locked arms and we went to work,” Morris said. “We put this program, with coach Swinney’s vision and direction, in an upward trajectory that obviously took off and exploded.”
What Chad Morris said about Clemson’s quarterbacks
Morris will do it without a portal quarterback after Clemson did not pursue one. The Tigers’ current quarterbacks are Christopher Vizzina, Chris Denson, Hunter Helms and freshman signees Brock Bradley and Tait Reynolds.
All have combined for only one start with Vizzina making his lone start against SMU in 2025 with Klubnik injured.
“We’ve got some an incredibly talented quarterback room. I really feel that way,” Morris said. “I know there’s teams across the country that would love to have the talent that’s sitting in that room.”
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at DCarter@usatodayco.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: What Dabo Swinney said about Clemson football rehiring OC Chad Morris
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