Garrett Riley named one of the "most interesting new coordinators" by ESPN
There will be a ton of new looks around college football; Wisconsin is transitioning to the Air Raid under new offensive coordinator Phil Longo, formerly at North Carolina and Ole Miss, Alabama and Nick Saban handed the reigns of their offense over to former Notre Dame OC and quarterback Tommy Rees, and Mike Bobo returns as play-caller for the defending back-to-back national champion Georgia Bulldogs.
But perhaps no coordinator move has garnered as much attention as the Garrett Riley move from TCU to Clemson. In an article breaking down some of the more intriguing coordinator moves in college football, ESPN named Riley among the "most interesting".
(Clemson Athletics)
Dabo Swinney pulled off the biggest coordinator coup of the cycle when he hired Riley, 33, from TCU," wrote ESPN's Adam Rittenberg in the story. Clemson fans are certainly hoping that's the case. Riley jumped to Clemson just days after TCU's 65-7 loss to Georgia in the College Football Playoff National Championship. While the Horned Frogs mustered just the lone touchdown against Georgia, TCU's offense was one of the sports most improved, and dominant, in 2022.
Most of the attention for Riley this offseason has been tied to the development of sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik, a five-star in the 2022 class, but in reality, we don't have much of a sample size to draw conclusions from outside of a clunky spring game. What we do know is Riley has a loaded running back room to play with, spearheaded by junior Will Shipley. Along with his backfield partner Phil Mafah, Shipley should be able to help smooth out any hiccups at the beginning of the year.
What makes the Garrett Riley hire perhaps the most interesting of the offseason is Clemson itself. The Tigers have been one of the preeminent programs in the sport over the last decade but have missed the CFP the past two seasons. Riley enters during a very decisive time in the program's history. His job isn't just to revive an offense, it's to do everything he can to get the program back in the postseason.
