Former Clemson offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain knows Chad Morris well, having played for Morris when he was the Tigers’ offensive coordinator from 2011-14.

Now, Morris is back in Tigertown as Clemson’s new offensive coordinator after being officially hired to the position on Jan. 5, replacing Garrett Riley, who was fired on Dec. 29 following three seasons as Clemson’s offensive coordinator.

On the Gramlich & Mac Lain show with fellow Clemson alum Kelly Gramlich, Mac Lain gave his thoughts on Morris being back as Clemson’s offensive coordinator.

Mac Lain called it a “fascinating” hire and says he initially wasn’t a fan of it.

“It’s just fascinating is the biggest word and the best word to describe it. … It really is, when you look at where Clemson is right now, and the fact that this happened,” Mac Lain said. “I’ll be honest, I’ll be super transparent with you guys – when this first was being floated, I didn’t like it. Like, my knee-jerk reaction was just like, ‘What? What do you mean? No. There’s no way.’

“And I think that the reasons for that is it’s obviously very comfortable. It’s an easy thing, an easy hire, in regards to the relationship, the friendship, the availability of Coach Morris, the familiarity with the offense. And again, nothing is going to change from a schematic standpoint because it’s been the Chad Morris offense. That’s what brought Clemson to this place. Now obviously, it’s the architect back running it, which is an interesting thing. … There’s no new shift of power. It’s not like someone’s going to come in and Coach Swinney and others are going to have to learn this new language, learn this new system that only said guy has. It’s the same thing. It’s there. And again, it’s someone that is very familiar, not only with the program but with Coach Dabo Swinney, how they do things, things of that nature. So, that was kind of the initial, knee-jerk, I-don’t-like-it type of vibe.”

Morris is tasked with trying to revitalize a Clemson offense that finished seventh in the ACC in total offense in 2025, averaging 392.2 yards per game, and No. 10 in scoring offense at 27.2 points per game. The Tigers also finished sixth in passing yards (267.8) and 11th in rushing (124.5).

During his four seasons as Clemson’s offensive coordinator, Morris helped the Tigers set 127 offensive records (89 individual marks and 38 team records), while winning the 2011 ACC Championship and guiding them to a 41-11 record. He helped Clemson beat top 10 foes LSU (Chick-fil-A) and Ohio State (Orange) in bowl games, while the Tigers were 27-6 against ACC opponents.

While Mac Lain wasn’t crazy about the re-hire of Morris at first, it grew on him and he says he’s now “at ease” about it.

“As the days went on and as this became a very real thing, and as it became official [on Jan. 5], it started to settle in a little bit – OK, there was some great success there,” Mac Lain said. “There were some things that really were nice, and the offenses that I was a part of were revolutionary for Clemson. We were in the dark ages of the I formation before Chad Morris got there and rebirthed that offense and took Clemson to, quite frankly, heights that it hadn’t been, in regards to speed, getting the ball out, decorated receivers. … Quarterback play, obviously, recruiting a little guy by the name of Deshaun Watson, getting him to come to Clemson. All these different things that make me feel at ease about it.”

You can check out the full commentary from Gramlich and Mac Lain about Morris returning as Clemson’s OC in the following video: