Clemson bringing back Chad Morris as next offensive coordinator, reports say
Clemson has its new offensive coordinator, and he’s a familiar face.
Coach Dabo Swinney and the Tigers are hiring Chad Morris as their next OC and quarterbacks coach, according to a report from Larry Williams of TigerIllustrated.com on Saturday. The Clemson Insider, TigerNet.com and ESPN’s Pete Thamel also confirmed the news of Morris’ expected hire.
On Saturday, Clemson announced its university board of trustees compensation committee would meet at 9 a.m. Monday with one action item: Approving a “football coach’s compensation,” with athletic director Graham Neff presenting.
Swinney also called Clemson’s coaches in for a Saturday afternoon staff meeting at the team facility, a source familiar with the situation told The State.
Morris, who replaces fired OC Garrett Riley, previously worked as Clemson’s offensive coordinator from 2011-14 and led some of the most explosive offenses in program history early in Swinney’s tenure as Tigers head coach.
Morris, 57, did not coach in 2025 and took a year off to watch his son, Chandler, play quarterback at Virginia. Before that, he was wide receivers coach at Texas State (2024) and a volunteer special assistant to the head coach at Clemson (2023).
His hiring as offensive coordinator has notable pros and cons for Swinney, who is facing a critical offseason after his 2025 team fell drastically short of preseason expectations and finished the year 7-6 (Clemson’s worst record in 15 years).
On the plus side, Morris was incredibly successful in his first stint at Clemson. He’s a veteran coach who can command a unit, and he’s a close friend and confidant of Swinney who could seamlessly slide back into the OC role for the Tigers.
But Morris also hasn’t called plays at a college level since 2020 at Auburn, and that team finished No. 90 nationally in scoring offense despite featuring Bo Nix at quarterback. Morris, at this very moment, also has a far different personnel group than his first time around at Clemson, plus a big question at quarterback.
And, most notably, he’s a retread hire: Someone who’s a Clemson guy and a colleague of Swinney’s from a decade ago. In other words, Morris is not exactly the “new and different” that many Tigers fans were hoping for amid valid questions about Swinney’s program structure and long-term outlook after a 7-6 year.
As such, Morris’ expected hire is expected to be met with some skepticism from portions of the Clemson fanbase as well as national observers.
Chad Morris coaching résumé, highlights
Morris had a tremendously successful run as Clemson’s offensive coordinator from 2011-14. The Tigers, in that four-year stretch, went 41-11, won the 2011 ACC championship and reached four bowl games including two BCS Orange Bowls.
Clemson set 127 offensive records during Morris’ four seasons and also recorded the top three scoring seasons in school history and four of the top five passing seasons in school history, with Morris’ fast-paced spread offense fueling the success of Tigers legends such as quarterbacks Tajh Boyd and Deshaun Watson and wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins.
He was a key hire for Swinney, who poached Morris after he spent one season at Tulsa in 2010. Morris was previously a career high school football coach in Texas.
Morris’ success at Clemson earned him head coaching jobs at SMU, where he worked 2015-17, and Arkansas, where he worked 2018-19. Morris was a combined 18-40 at those schools (.310) with just one winning season (SMU went 7-5 in 2017).
He has not been a playcaller since five years ago, when he worked for his longtime friend Gus Malzahn at Auburn in 2020 as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator. Malzahn was fired with one game remaining in the season.
Key questions for Morris, Clemson in 2026
Morris takes over a Clemson offense that never truly found its footing under Riley, who was considered a slam-dunk hire in 2023 and a future head coach when Swinney poached him from TCU, fresh off a run to the national title game.
Clemson finished 2025 ranked No. 71 nationally in scoring offense, No. 104 in rushing offense and No. 116 in third-down conversion rate among 136 FBS teams.
Clemson’s biggest offensive personnel question is at quarterback. Will Swinney and Morris go for a high-dollar option in the transfer portal? Will they roll the dice with their current, inexperienced group, led by redshirt junior Christopher Vizzina?
There’s also a big family question: Would Chad’s son, Chandler Morris, consider following his dad to Clemson if he successfully petitions the NCAA for a seventh year of eligibility? Chandler Morris led Virginia to an 11-win season in 2025.
The Tigers also must focus on retaining elite rising junior receivers T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr., plus promising talents at running back (Gideon Davidson) and tight end (Christian Bentancur). They could also be portal players at RB, WR or OL.
There’s also the question of staffing: Does Morris want to bring any additional offensive coaches with him to Clemson? Would Swinney be receptive to that?
This story was originally published January 3, 2026 at 2:39 PM.
