Chad Morris has a very specific idea of what he wants the identity of the Clemson offense to be.

Seeing as it’s been more than a decade since his first stint as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator and he’s spent considerable time with several different programs since, Morris feels he has evolved as a play caller.

On a recent edition of the 2 Right Turns Podcast, Morris touched on a number of topics, including that growth and his goals for the Clemson offense in 2026.

“You always have to continue to study what’s next,” Morris said. “What is the better mousetrap that is being built out there. When I left here in 2015 to go to SMU, and then moving on from there, I was able to study the evolution of offenses. And really more so the evolution of defenses and how they were catching up.”

During his first stint at Clemson, Morris was known for his frenetic pace of play. The Tigers were routinely running upwards of 100 plays per game. However, Morris knows that defenses have caught up to that style of play.

Over the past decade, he’s spent a lot of time talking philosophies with fellow coaches all across the country in an effort to get fresh ideas, and he comes back to Clemson feeling like he has a firm grasp on how to attack defenses in today’s game.

“The ability to change the pace of play,” Morris added. “Tempo is still a thing, but it is the ability to get in and out of structure and still play with pace. That is the challenging part, especially talking to defensive coordinators… ‘Hey we love playing people that want to play fast all the time. We are great with that.’ But it is the teams that change the pace is what gives us the most problems. And they do it in different personnel groupings.”

For Morris, it all starts with running the football, and that is what he wants the identity of his offense to be. It’s an area in which the Tigers struggled in 2025, and something that played a role in Dabo Swinney’s decision to move on from Garrett Riley.

It’s all about being creative, without being overly complex.

“We want to be tough,” Morris said. “And in order for you to be tough, you have to run the football. You have to be able to present the run. And in multiple ways. And being creative when you do present the run. You are running the same plays, but the creativity, the window dressing behind it.”

“I firmly believe that if you are tough running the football offensively, your defense is tougher. The people that work in the Bistro are tougher. You are just a tougher football team all in all. That is what we are. I am very distinct and know exactly what we want to be and what we are going to be. It is a two-back, run-oriented, play-action shot football team. Based on running the football.”