Dabo Swinney doesn’t usually fire people. He’s the guy who talks about "loyalty" and "fit" and "the Clemson way" until your ears bleed. But something broke in 2025. After a 7-6 season that ended with a dismal Pinstripe Bowl loss to Penn State, the Clemson University football coaching staff looks radically different. If you haven't been paying attention to the moves made over the last few weeks, you've basically missed the most aggressive staff overhaul of the Swinney era.
Honestly, the "best is yet to come" mantra was starting to sound a little hollow to a fan base watching the Tigers slide toward mediocrity. Dabo finally heard the noise. Or maybe he just looked at the scoreboard and saw his offense ranking 70th in the country in scoring. Either way, the 2026 version of this staff is a fascinating mix of "back to the future" nostalgia and high-stakes desperation.
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Chad Morris: The Architect Returns to Fix the Offense
The headline move—the one that has every Tiger fan either cheering or scratching their head—is the return of Chad Morris as offensive coordinator. He’s the guy who replaced Garrett Riley on January 5, 2026. If you remember the 2011 through 2014 seasons, Morris was the one who installed the "all gas, no brakes" spread that turned Tajh Boyd into a star and lured Deshaun Watson to Tigertown.
Swinney is basically trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice. He fired Riley after a season where the rushing attack was nonexistent (104th nationally) and the red zone offense felt like a root canal without anesthesia. Morris has had a rough go of it lately—getting fired from Arkansas and Auburn—but Dabo is betting that the schematic "fit" matters more than a resume's recent scar tissue.
It’s a huge gamble. Morris is 57 now. Some critics argue the game has passed him by, but he's already making moves. He brought in Artavis Scott, Clemson’s all-time receptions leader, in a player development role to help coach up the receivers. He also added Jacoby Ford as an assistant wide receivers coach under Tyler Grisham. Basically, the room is now filled with guys who actually know what it’s like to win a natty in this system.
The Defensive Shift: Tom Allen Takes the Reins
While the offense is getting a facelift, the defense is in the hands of Tom Allen. He was officially named defensive coordinator in early 2025, but 2026 is where we see the "Tom Allen Era" truly take flight. He’s replacing the leadership left behind by Mickey Conn, the long-time safeties coach and Dabo’s former college teammate who was let go in late December.
Allen isn’t just some coordinator hire; he’s a former Big Ten Head Coach (Indiana) who spent 2024 making Penn State’s defense a top-10 nightmare. He brings a level of intensity that was arguably missing under the previous regime. He’s already using his connections to fix the roster, too. Just a few weeks ago, he landed Elliot Washington II, a Penn State transfer defensive back who knows Allen’s system inside out.
The rest of the defensive staff is seeing some fresh blood as well. Corico Wright, a former Clemson linebacker who’s been grinding as an assistant at Delaware, is reportedly coming in to handle the safeties. It’s a young, hungry hire that contrasts with the "hire your friends" reputation Dabo has struggled to shake.
The 2026 Clemson Football Coaching Roster (Key Positions)
- Head Coach: Dabo Swinney (Entering his 18th full season)
- Offensive Coordinator/QBs: Chad Morris (The "Rebirth" hire)
- Defensive Coordinator/LBs: Tom Allen (The portal-friendly veteran)
- Offensive Line: Matt Luke (The former Ole Miss head coach who's been a massive recruiting win)
- Wide Receivers: Tyler Grisham (Now supported by Ford and Scott)
- Safeties: Corico Wright (The expected new addition)
- Defensive Ends: Chris Rumph
- Defensive Tackles: Nick Eason
- Specialists: Mike Reed (Cornerbacks/Special Teams Coordinator)
Why Dabo Finally Embraced the Transfer Portal
For years, Dabo treated the transfer portal like a plague. He’d say things like, "We'll only take a guy if he's the right fit," which usually meant he took nobody. But look at the 2026 coaching staff—they are actively recruiting the portal because they have to. With ten key signings already this offseason, including guys like London Merritt (EDGE from Colorado) and Chris Johnson Jr. (RB from SMU), the coaches are finally adapting.
Matt Luke, the offensive line coach, has been particularly vocal about this. He’s balancing a room full of young giants like 6'7" freshmen Adam Guthrie and Braden Wilmes with the reality that you can't just wait three years for a tackle to develop anymore. The pressure is on Luke to solidify a line that let Cade Klubnik get harassed all of 2025.
The Support Staff: Veteran Eyes and Young Blood
One of the more surprising additions to the Clemson University football coaching staff isn't even an on-field coach. Freddie Kitchens, the former Cleveland Browns head coach, joined the staff in early January as an unpaid offensive analyst. He’s another Alabama guy with ties to Dabo, but his NFL experience is invaluable for a staff trying to modernize its passing concepts.
Then you’ve got the return of the "Pro Tigers." Having Artavis Scott and Jacoby Ford in the building changes the energy. It’s not just about X’s and O’s; it’s about having guys who can tell a five-star recruit exactly what it takes to get from the Clemson practice fields to an NFL roster.
What Most People Get Wrong About These Changes
The common narrative is that Dabo is just "hiring his friends" again by bringing back Chad Morris. But that ignores the friction that existed during Morris’s first stint. Morris wasn't a "yes man." He and Dabo famously clashed over tempo and play-calling. Honestly, that might be exactly what this program needs—someone who isn't afraid to tell the boss that the offense is stagnant.
The 2026 season is a "prove it" year. If the combination of Tom Allen’s aggressive 4-2-5 defense and Chad Morris’s high-speed offense doesn't get Clemson back into the 12-team playoff, the questions about the direction of the program are only going to get louder.
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Actionable Insights for the 2026 Season
If you're tracking how these coaching changes will impact the actual games, keep an eye on these specific areas:
- Tempo is the tell: In the first three games of 2026, watch the "seconds per play." If Chad Morris truly has the keys, Clemson should be snapping the ball significantly faster than they did under Riley.
- The "Allen" Effect: Look for more creative blitz packages. Tom Allen loves to confuse quarterbacks with late-shifting linebackers, something that was a staple of his Penn State units.
- Portal Integration: Watch how quickly transfers like Elliot Washington II and London Merritt crack the starting lineup. Their success will dictate whether Dabo continues this more aggressive portal strategy in the future.
- Recruiting Texas: With Chad Morris back (a Texas high school coaching legend), expect Clemson to start winning more battles in the Lone Star State, where they’ve struggled recently.
The Clemson University football coaching staff is no longer a stagnant group of long-tenured assistants. It’s a high-risk, high-reward experiment. Whether it results in a return to the elite tier of college football or another 7-win "rebuilding" year will likely decide the legacy of the Dabo Swinney era.