'Fantastic hire by Dabo': More on Swinney getting Garrett Riley, Big 12 coaches scout him |
Can we start football season tomorrow?
That was the text I received from an excited friend of mine, a friend that like many other Clemson fans was giddy about the news that head coach Dabo Swinney and Clemson hired offensive coordinator Garrett Riley away from TCU. As former Clemson offensive lineman and current ACC Network football analyst Eric Mac Lain stated, it sent a “shockwave” around college football. Not only because Riley was wanted by a lot of big-time schools – he was – but because a lot of the same people who had written a combined Swinney and Clemson obituary now have to re-think things. We stood outside of the Clemson locker room following the loss to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl, and one staffer who was waiting on everyone else to get packed up said, “It’s not a secret. This offense has to get more explosive. The big plays just aren’t there anymore.” Indeed. Go back to the 2018 season, and Clemson led the nation in plays of 50-plus yards with 23. There were 13 plays of 60-plus yards, and the Tigers were second nationally that season with a whopping 104 plays of 20-plus yards. Clemson managed only 58 plays that gained at least 20 yards last season, which ranked 66th nationally; TCU had 91 such plays, which ranked the Horned Frogs fourth. We were on our way home from the Orange Bowl and stopped to watch the TCU-Michigan game. I kept looking at the screen and commenting on how Riley finds favorable matchups, how he uses motion to get an early look at the defense, and the different formations he uses. As we rode down the road I visited his Twitter page and decided to follow him. Why? A gut instinct? No idea. My wife Nikki looked at me and said, “Someone is going to notice you did that, and think you know something. You’re a troublemaker.” We then spent the next 100 miles discussing whether Swinney would see the program the same way a lot of those outside the program saw it. Turns out he did. We heard that there was a coaches' meeting last Saturday. I heard the word “testy” used, but another word I heard last night was “feisty” and that person said, “And don’t make any mistakes, it was Dabo that was feisty. Nobody else.” I was on the phone with someone close to the situation last night and I was told that this has been in the works for longer than people think (since last Saturday? Will be interesting to find out). And they said, “If you’ve known Dabo Swinney long enough, you know he doesn’t do anything by the seat of his pants. There is always a plan for everything.” So, while the rest of college football wrote the obits and celebrated Clemson’s demise, Swinney was working to bring in the hottest name in college football. But as the clock ticked down last night, I wondered what other coaches thought of Riley, and of the move? I reached out to a few Big 12 coaches last night to get a reaction via text, and the comments were what you would expect: “He is very multiple. Makes great in-game adjustments.” “Fantastic hire by Dabo. One of the best in the business.” “He is one of the best in the game at creating matchups. He always tries to get his best offensive player on your weakest defensive player. And then he gets him the ball. He plays the isolation game to perfection. He also isn’t afraid to use the middle of the field. Great at working with young quarterbacks.” “His offense has some innovative blocking schemes that should work well with Clemson’s talent.” “Can’t wait to see what he does with Mr. (Cade) Klubnik.” Football season won’t start today, and there are still several weeks until the start of spring practice. But there is a renewed energy around the football program, and I had someone tell me the hire has “lit a fire” with several of the players. Next up? Hopefully an introductory press conference at some point this weekend or early next week.
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
