CLEMSON – Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was asked at his press conference Wednesday about the possibility of Chandler Morris gaining a seventh year of eligibility and the likelihood of him playing for the Tigers next season.

Morris, son of new Tigers’ offensive coordinator Chad Morris, led Virginia to an 11-3 record and an ACC Championship Game appearance last season under former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, now the Cavaliers’ head coach.

“Starting quarterback for the Clemson Tigers here we go! Breaking news!,” Swinney said with a laugh. “No, he’d be playing for Tony Elliott and the Virginia Cavaliers. He’d be at Virginia. I mean, I assume he’d be at Virginia. I’m sure Tony would have something to say about that.”

Morris posted 3,000 passing yards as a Cavalier last season, notching 16 touchdowns in the air. Additionally, He added 245 rushing yards with five carries into the end zone. The 25-year old signal caller spent his true freshman year at Oklahoma in 2020, before spending three seasons at TCU, and a breakout year at North Texas.

In three years as a Horned Frog, Morris completed 201 passes for 2,372 yards and 16 touchdowns. At North Texas in 2024, he completed 322 passes for 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns– the most by any American Conference quarterback.

Morris submitted a medical redshirt waiver and appeal in January, seeking a medical redshirt for his 2022 season at TCU, in which he suffered a knee injury and played only 26 snaps in his team’s run to the national title game, in which they lost to Georgia.

When Morris’ waiver was denied, he filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on Tuesday in a Charlottesville Circuit Court, seeking a preliminary injunction. His lawyers cited former Virginia quarterbacks and mental health reasons to allow the 35-game starter another season.

During this process, Chad Morris has been adjusting to the same position he held at Clemson from 2011-14, after being hired officially by Swinney and the Board of Trustees on January 5.

 Swinney, in turn, has been aware of Chandler’s quest for one more year.

“We’ve talked about what all they’re dealing with, and the background on all of it,” the veteran coach said.

Swinney has known Chandler Morris since he was an elementary and middle school-aged child attending school in the Clemson area, during his father’s first stint as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator.

The Morris family, including a 13-year old Chandler, left Clemson when Chad accepted an offer to become the head coach at SMU in 2014. After stints as head coach with the Mustangs and the Arkansas Razorbacks from 2014-19, he served as Auburn’s offensive coordinator in the 2020 season. 

While he was not actively coaching in the last few years, Morris spent time watching his son, and learning from Elliott and other coaches in the college football landscape, especially during the Cavaliers’ run to their second program appearance in the ACC championship game.

“I want to thank Coach Elliott at UVA for allowing me to be a part,” Morris said in his introductory press conference in January. “Him and (offensive coordinator Des) Coach Kitchings allowed me to be a part of this past year and kept me involved and let me help them through the process of the season.”

While Swinney does not currently believe that Morris will play for Clemson in his final season, Virginia’s offensive influence could play a role in his father’s game plans this season. 

Morris will get his first chance to implement his new-look offense on Wednesday, as the Tigers opened their spring practice at the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex– a space built since Morris led the Tigers’ offense to an ACC Championship over Virginia in 2011.