On Friday, Garrett Riley was officially named Clemson’s new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, replacing the departed Brandon Streeter. Riley’s deal at Clemson is for three years and $5.25 million with a signing bonus.

During ACC Network’s ACC PM show Friday, co-host Mark Packer weighed in on the Tigers’ hire of Riley, the 33-year-old who joins Dabo Swinney’s staff after spending this past season as the play caller at TCU.

“You mentioned he’s 33, and I was thinking, that number 33 in coaching at Clemson – Danny Ford, if I’m not mistaken, was 33 years old when he won the national championship as a head coach,” Packer said. “He was hired when he was 31.”

“It’s one of those things now,” Packer added. “It’s not unusual to see guys – I mean listen, Garrett’s brother Lincoln, running the show at Oklahoma, now running the show at USC, was in his 30s doing it when he got hired… So, it’s not unusual to see a 30-something dude and got the keys to a Ferrari. That’s not unusual in college football anymore.”

Packer expects Clemson’s offense to pick up the tempo and be revitalized under Riley, who won the 2022 Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach in helping the Horned Frogs reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history.

He’s now tasked with improving an offense at Clemson that took steps in 2022 but has largely lost its explosion over the last two seasons. The Tigers ranked 30th in scoring, 47th in rushing and 48th in total offense, but a passing game that finished in the middle of the pack in the ACC (232 yards per game) continued its inconsistencies.

“Just thinking about how Clemson’s played, especially this past year when their offense actually was better than it was a year before. But still, when you compare it to some others around the country, you’re like yeah, they’re still almost Neanderthal in their approach,” Packer said. “Tempo, too. It used to be a thing when you watched Clemson play, their tempo was crazy. Not only did they have frisbee-catching dogs, great players and all that stuff, but their speed. And now you watched them under DJU (DJ Uiagalelei) really for the last two years, it felt like it came to a screeching halt, just watching it from afar. So, I sense that will change too.”

Packer thinks Riley’s offensive system will be able to get the most out of versatile playmakers in Clemson’s offense who present matchup problems like wide receivers Antonio Williams and Adam Randall, and running back Will Shipley.

“I think of a guy like Antonio Williams, the freshman, the dynamic guy that they can put in the slot, they can put him outside,” Packer said. “And you just gotta figure, Garrett Riley, it’s going to be like a chess piece… A guy like a Randall, the outstanding freshman, another one of those kind of guys that physically can be a matchup issue. And then of course there’s Will Shipley who can run, you can stick him anywhere you want.

“So, there’s pieces there for Clemson. But you’ve gotta figure that Garrett Riley’s going to be able to figure out a way to maximize those matchups and set up schemes where you go guess what, linebacker, can you run with him, I don’t think you can, and we think we got a quarterback that can get the football to the guy.”

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