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This week, ESPN gave a detailed look at 10 interesting first-year coordinators in college football going into the upcoming season.
Among those on ESPN’s list of college football’s most interesting new coordinators (subscription required) is Clemson OC Garrett Riley.
“Dabo Swinney pulled off the biggest coordinator coup of the cycle when he hired Riley, 33, from TCU just four days after the Horned Frogs played for a national championship. Although Riley’s TCU offense produced just seven points against Georgia, his overall work with the Frogs — culminating with the Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant coach — made him an excellent addition for Clemson,” ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg wrote. “Since 2021, Clemson is 51st in scoring (29.9 PPG), 96th in yards per play (5.4) and 72nd in total QBR (55.2), despite still going 21-6 with an ACC championship. Riley’s challenge is to develop sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik, restore some edge to the receiving corps and ultimately get closer to the type of production Clemson enjoyed from 2015 to 2020, when the team ranked fourth nationally in scoring (40.4 PPG) and third in yards (501.8 YPG).”
“He can call upon his experience at TCU, which went from 65th nationally in scoring in 2021 to ninth last year with Riley and coach Sonny Dykes.”
Rittenberg also noted that Riley has particularly excelled in working with quarterbacks and receivers.
“Riley became a coordinator at SMU only in 2020 but has quickly shown his value, especially in his work with quarterbacks (Shane Buechele, Tanner Mordecai, Max Duggan) and wide receivers (Rashee Rice, Reggie Roberson Jr., Quentin Johnston),” Rittenberg wrote. “He has a natural connection with Klubnik — both are Texas natives — but his work with Clemson’s wideouts could be almost as significant. After producing a 1,000-yard receiver each season from 2018 through 2020, no Clemson player has exceeded 604 receiving yards the past two seasons.”
Miami defensive coordinator Lance Guidry is the lone other ACC coach on ESPN’s list of the most interesting new coordinators.