Clemson football will have new faces among its coaching staff in 2026, and the biggest domino fell on Monday afternoon with the news that offensive coordinator Garrett Riley will not return to the Tigers’ staff next season.
Riley is not the only member of the coaching staff that Clemson is parting ways with as it was announced safeties coach Mickey Conn also would not return. Riley and Conn are the first two dominos to fall, with speculation from inside sources centering around more changes being made in the coming days.
Riley, the 2022 Broyles Award winner who was hired by Dabo Swinney to replace Brandon Streeter as OC in 2023, oversaw the Tigers’ offense the past three seasons with mixed results, but it seemed at times as if there were a disconnect between head coach Dabo Swinney and Riley’s respective philosophies as the offense sputtered on multiple occasions.
The 2024 season was Riley’s best with quarterback Cade Klubnik passing for over 3,600 yards and 36 touchdowns. But it was his seeming willingness to abandon the run game that drew the constant ire of fans, and from the outside looking in, Swinney. Against LSU in the season-opener, in what was supposed to be a coming out party for a Clemson team ranked number four in the country, Clemson running backs logged less than 20 total carries as the offense fell flat on national television.
LSU Tigers vs. Clemson Tigers | Full Game Highlights | ESPN College Football
It was a constant refrain and point of contention as Klubnik struggled during the 2025 campaign with the Tigers never having a true featured running back they could rely on. The frustration was evident, and rumblings began about a potential change.
On Monday, those rumors came to fruition.
It will be interesting to see what further changes are made in the coming days, and who Swinney targets to lead the offense. Additionally, how deeply will Swinney and the Tigers dip into the transfer portal to rebuild a depleted roster ravaged by voluntary departures and attrition from graduation?
It is a pivotal time for the Clemson football program with looming decisions set to carry much weight in determining whether the Tigers can once again join the nation’s college football elite.
