Entering his second season as Clemson’s offensive coordinator in 2024, Garrett Riley is “really settled in” and “very comfortable,” according to head coach Dabo Swinney.
During an appearance on ACC Network’s ACC PM show this week, Swinney spoke about what he’s seen from Riley this spring and the steps he has taken heading into Year 2 in charge of the Tigers’ offense.
“He knows our players. This time last year, I think we had one scholarship player go through the spring, so that was a challenge for him with a lot of guys out and hurt and so forth,” Swinney said. “But it’s been really good. I think he’s more comfortable. All the staff, everybody’s settled in. Obviously (offensive line coach) Matt Luke coming in, I think that’s been a great addition for him as well, and kind of just like your quarterback, you just take another step. He’s a very talented coach, very talented coordinator, and I’m really proud of how we finished.”
Riley joined Clemson from TCU, where he served as the team’s offensive coordinator in helping lead the Horned Frogs to a 13-2 record, a Fiesta Bowl title and a berth in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in 2022.
As Swinney mentioned, Riley’s first campaign at Clemson was challenging – and at times, frustrating – but he had success leading the Tigers’ offense as well.
The 2022 Broyles Award winner at TCU, Riley led Clemson to a No. 15 national rank in first downs per game (23.4), the ninth-best mark in Clemson history, and the Tigers’ 76.8 plays per game represented their highest average since 2016 (81.4). Clemson finished fifth in the nation in average time of possession per game (33:19), its highest ranking and largest average since 1989.
Unfortunately for Riley and the Tigers’ offense, they were plagued by turnovers – especially red zone turnovers – that held the unit back, kept points off the scoreboard and played a significant role in some close losses for a team that finished 9-4 (4-4 ACC).
“We were second in plays per game last year and we were 15 th in first downs last year. So, the problem is, we were 112 th in fumbles, and as a result, we were 121 st in red zone scoring – turnovers in the red zone, missed kicks in the red zone,” Swinney said.
“So, that was a very frustrating thing for him. But man, I’m proud of how Garrett hung in there and we got over the hump. And we had some close losses – overtime, double-overtime, pick-six. The opening game (at Duke), we had 250 yards rushing, 250 yards passing, and we got beat. For the first time in 128 years of Clemson football, we lose a game when we do that.”
After seeing the Tigers fight through adversity during a trying 2023 season and finish the year on a five-game winning streak, Swinney likes where his team and coaching staff are going into this summer following spring practice, and he hopes they continue moving in a positive direction ahead of the Aug. 31 season opener against Georgia.
“It was a year for everybody just to kind of battle through, and we did, and we’re in a good spot,” Swinney said. “So, we’ve just gotta go and keep building on what we’ve done this spring, have a great summer, skills and drills. Coaches are all in a good place, and now hopefully we can stay healthy and really build on the foundation that we put in place last year with Coach Riley.”
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