Why did Garrett Riley leave TCU for Clemson?

Former offensive coordinator, Garrett Riley had a pretty decent stint with the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs. He joined TCU ahead of the 2022 season and put up an incredible display as the Frogs were ranked 9th in scoring offense last year, with an average of 38.8 points per game.

Prior to this, Riley was the OC for the SMU Mustangs in 2020 and 2021, where he placed them in the top 15 for both scoring and total offense in both campaigns.

He was also awarded the Broyles Award, which is given to the top assistant coach in college football. So why did he decide to join Clemson?

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Why did Garrett Riley leave TCU for Clemson?

After announcing his move to join the Clemson Tigers as their new offensive coordinator this season, Garrett Riley opened up about the factors that influenced this decision on the National Signing Day show for Clemson.

During the program, he talked about the stability that the Clemson program has in its structure. He also mentioned that coach Dabo Swinney has built a strong foundation for the team, which aligns with the goals and ambitions he has for himself.

"Just really made sense. That's what was important to me, was important to our family, that we were going to come into a situation that was like this with as stable as it is and consistent as it has been on and off the field. That's certainly a draw to players and a big draw to coaches as well", Riley said.

He further went on to talk about the impact Swinney had with his success as the coach of the Clemson Tigers:

"I love that he built it his own way. I really respect that he's stayed the course with how he sees it. He has a lot of conviction with what he does. That was a big draw for me throughout the years as I've watched coach Swinney and watched Clemson. I really respect that", he said.

Dabo Swinney was named as the interim head coach of the Tigers after Tommy Bowden's resignation in 2008, and after finishing the season with a 7-6 campaign, he has been in charge of the team ever since.

Last season, Swinney recorded Clemson's 12th consecutive campaign with ten wins or more, joining the likes of Nick Saban and Bobby Bowden in this achievement.

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Garrett Riley's tenure with Clemson

In his first season as the offensive coordinator for the Tigers, Riley has led them to a 2-2 record after four games this season. Their offense has just been mediocre, with the team recording only 474.3 total yards with an average of 6 yards per play.

Thus, Garrett Riley will have to help his offensive line improve over the course of the season if he wants the same kind of success he had with TCU and SMU.