In Clemson's slow descent from championship program to ACC also-ran, the starkest decline has appeared on offense. The frustration is growing, and Dabo Swinney was seen on camera on the sideline last Saturday against Virginia Tech with a large playsheet in hand, which he says is not a rarity, but it did nothing to help rumors of discontent with offensive coordinator Chad Morris and questions about whether Swinney himself took the wheel during the game. Morris was offensive coordinator for the Tigers for four seasons from 2011-2014 as Clemson began its ascent.
He was brought in to arrest the slide, and he clearly isn't. They were Nick Saban's greatest foil at Alabama, and now they struggle to even score 30 points. A month ago, CBS Sports reported that firing Swinney was unlikely due to finances, so an increasingly unhappy marriage may continue.
But for now, for this season, just how bad it is on offense punctuates how far Clemson has fallen. At first under Dabo Swinney, Clemson was at the forefront of the spread era. It was fun, fresh and uptempo, with plenty of points.
They became a wide receiver factory (Swinney is a wide receivers coach by trade) and, most importantly, an incubator of quarterback talent. Few programs ever have a quarterback as good as Deshaun Watson or Trevor Lawrence. Clemson had them both within only one year of each other.
Now they sit as one of the nation's worst passing offenses, and near the bottom third of most offensive stats overall. Since former offensive coordinator Tony Elliott left in 2021, Clemson has struggled for a true offensive identity. Brandon Streeter was an internal promotion who lasted a year in 2022.
Garrett Riley represented Swinney as acquiescing to the demand for an outside voice, which never really worked; now Swinney is back to Morris. Saturday's Virginia Tech game saw the Tigers score one offensive touchdown, and a frustrated Swinney minced no words after the first two quarters. "It's all coaching," Dabo Swinney told ESPN going into halftime after his offense scored three points in the first half against Virginia Tech.
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