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Who Dabo Swinney is sitting with at Clemson basketball vs NC State game
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- Who Dabo Swinney is sitting with at Clemson basketball vs NC State game
CLEMSON — Fresh off the transfer portal closing, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney and new offensive coordinator Chad Morris stepped out to watch some basketball together.
Both were among Tigers staffers to attend Clemson basketball's game against NC State on Jan. 20 at Littlejohn Coliseum. This marked Swinney and Morris' first public appearance at Clemson together since the Tigers hired Morris as the Tigers' offensive coordinator, again, on Jan. 5.
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Morris will replace Garrett Riley, who was fired on Dec. 29 after three seasons . This will be Morris' third stint with Clemson after being the team's offensive coordinator from 2011-14 and returning to serve as an offensive analyst in 2023.
This change happened after Clemson (7-6) had its second-worst season in Swinney's full 17 seasons. The Tigers missed the ACC championship and College Football Playoff despite being preseason favorites to make both.
Morris will be tasked to improving Clemson's offense, which regressed in 2025 despite having senior quarterback Cade Klubnik , talented skill-position players and an experienced offensive line.
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The Tigers averaged 27.2 points (72nd in FBS) in 2025. The year prior, Clemson averaged 34.7 points (18th).
When Morris became Clemson's offensive coordinator in 2011, Clemson averaged 33.6 points (24th), which helped the Tigers win the ACC championship for the first time in 20 years.
Clemson went on to rank in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense, averaging 41 points (6th) in 2012 and 40.2 points (8th) in 2013. The Tigers offense regressed in 2014 though, averaging 30.8 (53rd).
MORE: Where the 14 Clemson football players Dabo Swinney lost in portal transferred
Yet, Morris hasn't called plays since 2020 when he was Auburn's offensive coordinator. He struggled as a head coach, posting an 18-40 record with one bowl game appearance with stints at SMU (2015-17) and Arkansas (2018-19).
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He also did not coach in 2025, opting to watch his son, Chandler Morris , play quarterback at Virginia .
Morris will have talented skill-position players, including wide receivers T.J. Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr and transfer running back Chris Johnson Jr. Clemson did not add a transfer quarterback though, meaning the Tigers will rely on Christopher Vizzina , Chris Denson , Hunter Helms or freshman signees Brock Bradley and Tait Reynolds to be the team's starter.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at DCarter@usatodayco.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dabo Swinney, Chad Morris attend Clemson basketball vs NC State game
