CLEMSON – The relationship between an offensive coordinator and his quarterback is one of the most vital parts of a healthy, working team.

Offensive coordinators are tasked not only with designing schemes and play-calls that align with a signal-caller’s strengths, but they also play a large role in stabilizing a quarterback’s mentality throughout any given game.

“They’ve got to sense my urgency and sense my, you know, I want them to see me,” Clemson offensive coordinator Chad Morris said.  “I think it’s extremely important for me and where we are right now in our program for them to sense my urgency and also to sense my ability, maybe when things aren’t going well, to maybe calm down and bring a little bit more of a peace to them.”

Morris, who has made a career partially out of developing elite quarterbacks like Tajh Boyd and Deshaun Watson, usually likes to be face-to-face with his leader during the game, opting to call plays from the sidelines and look offensive players in the eyes in between possessions.

However, after Clemson’s first two games this season–a 41-point loss to LSU and a 22-7 victory over Georgia Southern–Morris and the Tigers decided to switch up the ritual, moving Morris up into the box.

So, tangibly, how does it work when an offensive coordinator who has a knack for calling a quarterback down cannot physically make eye contact with him during a game?

Can he still have the same effect while not directly on the field?

According to quarterback Tait Reynolds, Morris is still as effective as ever from up in the box. It helps that, thanks to in-ear communication systems that were established at the college level, Morris can still speak directly to Reynolds up until the snap.

“I still hear him all the time like in my headset, so I haven’t seen a whole lot of difference,” Reynolds said. “But it’s been great to have him up there, kind of see the whole field a little more, and he’s been doing an amazing job. So, he’s been helping me out a lot.” 

In Reynolds’ first two starts for Clemson, as well as extensive playing time in two other games this season, the freshman has had both success and struggle.

In Clemson’s win over North Carolina, the rookie threw for 215 yards, one touchdown and rushed for another 26 yards, helping him earn Freshman of the Week Honors from 247 Sports. One week later, however, he threw for just 108 yards and turned the ball over twice.

During those tough moments after a bad play, Morris gets the opportunity to directly speak to Reynolds. According to the rookie, the coordinator’s focuses on getting him to look forward, flushing the mistakes.

“He talks about a relief point,” Reynolds said. “So, you kind of look up at, we have a little spot on the field that we look at. If something goes bad, it’s just kind of ‘So what? Let it go. Next play.’”

According to sports-psychology.com, the concept of a refocusing point allows athletes to build a habit of leaving a hard moment in the past, associating a physical point as a signal to look forward. This mental technique, used by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tennis stars Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, seeks to keep athletes moving forward.

Reynolds’ next chance to move forward is on Saturday, when the Tigers host No. 4 Miami at Memorial Stadium. On paper, the Hurricanes are the toughest defense Reynolds has faced in his young collegiate career. However, he will enter the contest knowing that Morris will be in communication with him through it all.