Let's get optimistic about Chad Morris

Picture from Clemson Athletics

To mixed reactions from the Southland faithful, Chad Morris is back as the offensive leader on the sideline for the Clemson Tigers. Morris boasts a strong resume during his four seasons at Clemson at the turn of the 2010s, but there is a heavy debate over whether he is the tried and true answer to turning around the 2025 season’s offensive struggles.

Morris entered Clemson football lore in 2011 during a time when the Dabo Swinney honeymoon period was beginning to fade away, as the Tigers came off a 6-7 record and a Meineke Car Care Bowl loss in 2010. The offense was messy, and the defense was certainly subpar. It’s a similar situation to 2025, despite the current Tigers roster having a much stronger defensive unit — especially with recent transfer portal reworks.

In the past, Morris’s impact in Tigertown was felt immediately. In his debut season as the offensive coordinator, the 2010 team, which ranked No. 86 in total offense in college football with 334.6 total yards per game, was transformed into the No. 23-ranked offense in 2011, boasting 440.8 total yards. Morris continued creating high-powered, high-yardage offenses for Clemson, with a No. 6-ranked 2012 offense with 512.7 total yards and a No. 8-ranked 2013 offense with 508.1 total yards. The Tiger offense then plummeted to No. 54 in 2014 with 408.3 total yards.

In the four years under the Dabo-Morris coaching duo, the Tigers won 10 or more games each season and would win three bowl games in the process. Morris’s high-energy offense — dubbed a “Red Bull” offense by The Roar FM radio talent Faxon Childress — caught the attention of elite quarterback prospect Deshaun Watson and led him to Clemson. Watson would go on to play under center during the Tigers’ 2016 national championship run.

Morris left Clemson for a head coaching gig at SMU in 2015, and helped turn a struggling program into a competent one. He led the Mustangs to a 7-5 record before leaving for the Arkansas head coach position in 2017. Unfortunately, Morris took the blame for a 4-18 record over his two seasons for the Razorbacks. He then took an offensive coordinator role in 2020 with the Auburn Tigers, leading them to the No. 89-best offense in the NCAA that season. But after that, Morris found himself in analyst obscurity. For the past few years, he has shifted roles for various programs, including a brief consultant role reunion at Clemson in 2023.

The 2025 Clemson Tigers fielded an offense that was ranked No. 72 in college football with 392.2 total yards per game. These numbers are a strikingly similar sight to the 2010 offense that Morris took control of the following year. If Morris can back up his resume of bolstering offensive performances in Death Valley and avoid a pitfall like his time in Auburn, Clemson could potentially see a boost back into an elite offensive unit.

Obviously, a smart coordinator is not the only factor that fuels a top offensive unit. To lighten the load for Morris, the 57-year-old coordinator needs the right talent for his system. But the idea that Clemson could go back to being that “all gas, no brakes” offense that it once was is certainly promising.

Morris, above all things, is praised for being a feisty coordinator who was never afraid of standing up to head coach Swinney. In his previous stint, Morris and former defensive coordinator Brent Venables set the foundation on both sides of the ball that later led to culture changes that promoted national championship trophies.

However, one valid concern is that Morris was not the best option for the vacant coordinator position. This could also be perceived as Swinney forcing the Clemson program to do it his way, and that it’s a continuation of his unwavering loyalty to tradition — just like the Tigers witnessed firsthand with initial transfer portal stubbornness. It’s also important to note that Morris has been fired twice since 2019 and resigned from a high school coaching position after an awful season.

Technically, Morris has not exclusively called plays since 2021. It certainly is a Hail Mary-type shot from Swinney to see if old dogs can still learn new tricks; or in this case, if old dogs can make old tricks fun again. But if Clemson fans’ main worry is that Swinney is surrounded by too many “yes men,” Morris will be the first to tell Swinney no.

This hire very well may not have been what most fans expected, or even wanted, but there needs to be some optimism that Morris can help turn around a shaky, uninspired Clemson offense once again, just like he did 15 years ago.

STORY ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN CLEMSON UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER, THE TIGER.