The Clemson Tigers football program has had a dissapointing last few seasons under head coach Dabo Swinney. The Tigers are a long way from the teams that would make the college football playoff and go toe-to-toe with the Alabama Crimson Tide and Ohio State Buckeyes.
This season, the Tigers went 7-6 this season, capping the meager year with a loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. Now, Clemson is making some massive changes to the coaching staff to get things back on track, including moving on from its offensive coordinator, per one prominent college football insider.
“Sources: Clemson OC Garrett Riley and veteran assistant Mickey Conn will not return,” reported ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Monday.
Sources: Clemson OC Garrett Riley and veteran assistant Mickey Conn will not return.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 29, 2025
Fans reacted to the news on social media.
“Did TCU already make an OC hire? Cuz I bet Riley would be welcomed back in Fort Worth,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“Dabo should pay Riley’s buyout personally,” another fan added.
“Not surprised with Riley. Felt like the offense never clicked under him,” another fan added.
“Dabo is going to take the wrong lesson out of Riley ‘see! I hired someone outside the family and it didn’t work. Now I can go back to hiring some unqualified guy from within again!'” someone else predicted.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Tigets get back to the College Football Playoff next season.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.