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Clemson Football: Could Chad Morris return as an Offensive Analyst?

By Shawn Spencer

FAYETTEVILLE, AR - OCTOBER 27: Head Coach Chad Morris of the Arkansas Razorbacks on the sidelines in the first half of a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Razorback Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Commodores defeated the Razorbacks 45-31. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - OCTOBER 27: Head Coach Chad Morris of the Arkansas Razorbacks on the sidelines in the first half of a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Razorback Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Commodores defeated the Razorbacks 45-31. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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Could Clemson football bring former Offensive Coordinator Chad Morris back into the program, this time as an Offensive Analyst?

Things have changed immensely since Chad Morris was on staff with the Clemson football program.

The Tigers have gone on to win two National Championships, four-straight ACC Championships and make four-straight CFB Playoff appearances.

Morris, on the other hand, has not had the same amount of success. The former Offensive Coordinator for Clemson football left the Tiger program to begin his head coaching career at Southern Methodist University (SMU). From 2015 to 2017, Morris led the Mustangs to records of 2-10, 5-7 and 7-5. Following the consistent uptrend, Arkansas decided to hire Morris as its next head coach. It would become a decision that Razorback fans would regret.

In less than two full seasons in Arkansas, Morris had records of 2-10 in 2018 and 2-8 in 2019. He was fired following a 45-19 loss to Western Kentucky. The Razorbacks never won a conference game during his tenure.

With Morris available, it certainly begs the question: Could the Clemson football program bring him back in as an Offensive Analyst?

Unless both Tony Elliott, Jeff Scott or Brandon Streeter leave for other coaching opportunities following this season- which is extremely unlikely- the Tigers won’t have an opening on their staff of coaches.

Even if Elliott and Scott left, Dabo Swinney would be much more likely to hire Streeter and promote from within rather than bring Morris back, knowing that his mind is already focused on the future and building back up to being a head coach again.

Morris made it abundantly clear during his time at Clemson that his ultimate goal was to be a head coach. He’s not a guy like Brent Venables who is content with being a coordinator until something unpassable comes along.

That being said, the Tigers could still bring Morris in as an Offensive Analyst. For those wondering what an analyst is, it’s basically a coach that’s not a coach. Is that confusing enough?

The role of ‘analyst’ or ‘quality-control coach’ is to assist the coaching staff. They aren’t allowed by the NCAA to instruct players and aren’t permitted to recruit. Their job is strictly to scout, analyze opponents and assist the coaching staff in building its game plan.

The most prominent program to have analysts over the course of the past half-decade is Alabama. The Crimson Tide have had a whole host of analysts- former coaches who failed- come in, be promoted or find other jobs across the country. One of the most prominent examples of this is Lane Kiffin.

When looking at this role, you could see how Morris would tie perfectly into it for Clemson football. Morris is an offensive genius, and there’s no doubting that. He had the Tiger offense clicking on all cylinders during his time in Clemson and, perhaps, he could help Scott and Elliott refine the unit through consultation. Adding an extra mind to the group certainly wouldn’t hurt anything and may would help the Tigers find a way to be more explosive offensively early on in the season.

As an analyst, Morris wouldn’t be relied upon or expected to be with the program long-term. He would just be building up his rapport until a job opened for him.

While it’s expected that Chad Morris will likely take an Offensive Coordinator job and then try to work his way back into the head coaching realm over the course of the next couple of seasons, the Offensive Analyst role may provide him some stability within a winning program to get back on his feet. It’s not likely the path that he’ll choose, but it’s definitely something to consider.

Next. Studs and Duds from the NC State victory. dark

This is all speculation on our part and not likely to happen, but bringing Morris in within this capacity could be beneficial for both parties. If Morris came to Clemson first, he likely would be able to step into a better Offensive Coordinator role with a more prominent program. After a year in Clemson and then a couple more years with a winning program, he’d be granted another opportunity at his ultimate goal: Becoming a Head Coach.

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