Garrett Riley is headed back to the SEC — and into a smaller role — after Clemson’s offense slipped sharply in 2025.
Riley, Clemson’s offensive coordinator from 2023-25, is expected to join Missouri as an offensive assistant, according to a report from On3. The move places Riley on the staff of Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz and returns him to a league he knows well after a high-profile run that began with national acclaim and ended with Clemson searching for answers.
SEC landing after Clemson exit
Riley’s next stop comes weeks after Clemson made a change atop its offense following a 7–6 season and a bowl loss to Penn State. Clemson struggled to match its prior production in 2025, finishing outside the national top tier after a year in which expectations were elevated by experience and continuity.
At Missouri, Riley will work under Drinkwitz, an offensive-minded head coach who has built his reputation on quarterback development and structure. The hire also reconnects two coaches with shared history: Riley and Drinkwitz previously crossed paths at Appalachian State, where Drinkwitz was the head coach and Riley served as running backs coach.
From Broyles buzz to the 2025 dip
When Clemson hired Riley, the résumé was loud. He arrived after winning the Broyles Award for his work at TCU during the Horned Frogs’ run to the national title game, and he was tasked with modernizing Clemson’s attack while building around quarterback Cade Klubnik.
The results peaked in 2024, when Clemson’s offense produced at a top-15 national level in yardage, the Tigers won the ACC and returned to the College Football Playoff conversation with momentum.
But the expected next step didn’t hold in 2025. Clemson’s scoring and efficiency dropped, and the season ended with a loss to Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl — a finish that sharpened the urgency around a program that has measured itself by championship standards.
Riley was also connected to head coaching and coordinator chatter earlier in the cycle, but Missouri’s role signals a reset: a chance to regroup, learn under another offensive head coach, and re-enter the next round of opportunities with SEC experience on the résumé.
Clemson turns back to Chad Morris
Clemson has already moved forward, bringing back former Tigers offensive coordinator Chad Morris to run the unit. Morris previously led Clemson’s offense from 2011-14, a stretch that helped ignite the program’s rise into a national power.
The hire underscores Clemson’s posture heading into 2026: stabilizing the offense, restoring identity, and recalibrating around a standard that hasn’t changed — even when the numbers have.