During his Sunday evening teleconference following Saturday’s 20–16 home loss to Virginia Tech, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was asked if he’s confident that Chad Morris will coach the remainder of the season.

Swinney firmly backed his offensive coordinator despite the offense’s ongoing and substantial struggles.

“Absolutely,” Swinney answered.

On Saturday, Swinney was critical of the coaching staff and offensive performance, including stating at halftime that the offensive struggles were “100% coaching” and “pitiful,” adding, “That ain’t the players. That’s us.” He also noted postgame that he didn’t feel the staff helped the players enough to win the game.

On Sunday evening, Swinney deflected the blame away from Morris and instead shifted the blame upon himself, saying the offensive failures start with him as the head coach.

“I’m criticizing myself, as well, because I’m the head coach,” Swinney said. “It starts with me. Ultimately, it’s my responsibility.”

Swinney staunchly defended the OC, who was re-hired ahead of the 2026 season following a highly successful first stint as Clemson’s OC from 2011-14.

 “There’s nobody that works harder than Chad,” Swinney said. “He’s smart, he’s detailed. It just hasn’t come together. We’re kind of going through a little transition, but we’ll work our way through it, and there’s going to be better days ahead. There’s no doubt about it, for me. So, just keep focusing on the right things, and just keep doing the work.”

Swinney added that he has not “lost any faith in Chad.”

“Man, that guy is as smart as they come,” Swinney said. “He’s an incredible worker, he’s incredibly organized, and sooner or later, this thing’s going to come together.”

On Sunday evening, Swinney was also asked if there are any tweaks he can make in terms of the offensive staff midseason, similar to the 2025 in-season defensive adjustments that were made by shifting responsibilities in the secondary after struggles with pass defense.

“No, it’s a different situation than that,” Swinney said. “We’re not playing very well, but it’s a different situation.”

Clemson fell to 4-3 and 2-2 in ACC play after Saturday’s loss to Virginia Tech. The Tigers return to the field this Saturday (7 p.m., ACC Network) when they take on Florida State at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla.