Swinney swings for the fences, nabs TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley

Garrett Riley was named the Broyles Award winner this past season.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Jan 12 17:57:54 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Many wondered if head coach Dabo Swinney would make the moves necessary to put Clemson back in the conversation of having a feared offense, and Swinney made a move Thursday afternoon that answered that question.

In a rapid-fire series of events, TigerNet learned that offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter had been fired and that Swinney had targeted and then hired TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, the younger brother of USC head coach Lincoln Riley.

In baseball terms, it’s the type of “home run hire” Swinney and the Clemson program needed to gain positive momentum heading into the 2023 season. Riley gets the chance to work with quarterback Cade Klubnik and incoming freshman quarterback Christopher Vizzina.

Streeter just completed his 15th full season at Clemson overall in 2022, including his playing career and tenures as a graduate assistant and full-time assistant coach.

Clemson finished 48th in total offense and 30th in scoring offense this past season, a year after finishing an abysmal 99th in 2021 under Tony Elliott.

The 33-year old Riley is considered one of the brightest up-and-coming offensive minds in the game. He coached Heisman Trophy finalist Max Duggan this season and coordinated the top offense in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs (12-1), who were in the College Football Playoff for the first time, led the nation with 19 plays of 50 yards or longer, with 10 going for at least 60 yards.

ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain told TigerNet the move was one Swinney needed to make.

"This is exactly what Clemson needed to do. A massive hire that has sent a shockwave around college football," Mac Lain said. "Clemson will be back to the explosive, creative offense we were used to seeing from the Tigers."

Riley was the offensive coordinator at SMU for two seasons before moving with Sonny Dykes to TCU this year. He has also been an assistant at Appalachian State, Kansas and East Carolina.

Riley, 33, was selected as Broyles winner by a committee made up of College Football Hall of Fame coaches, members of the Football Writers Association of America and broadcasters.

Prior to his time at SMU, Riley spent the 2019 season as running backs coach at Appalachian State. The Mountaineers went 13-1, including a Sun Belt Conference Championship and a win over UAB in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. Riley mentored Darrynton Evans to Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year honors after totaling 1,740 all-purpose yards, including 1,250 rushing and 20 touchdowns. Evans was a third-round selection by the Tennessee Titans in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Before Appalachian State, Riley spent three seasons (2016-18) at Kansas in various capacities.

From 2013-15, Riley worked with the offense at East Carolina. He was the outside receivers coach in 2015, when Zay Jones caught 98 passes for 1,009 yards en route to setting the NCAA FBS career record with 399 receptions. Jones was selected 37th overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Riley got his start in the collegiate ranks in 2012 as running backs coach at Augustana College (Ill.). Prior to that, he was a quarterbacks and passing game assistant at Roosevelt High School in Lubbock in 2011.

A 2012 graduate of Texas Tech with a degree in general business, Riley played for the Red Raiders in 2008 and 2009 before transferring to Stephen F. Austin for the 2010 season. Riley saw action in 11 games for the Lumberjacks, leading them to a Southland Conference Championship and 9-3 record.

Riley and his wife, Lindsay, have two sons: Gibson and Greyson.