Clemson fires offensive coordinator after one season as Dabo Swinney aims to bring new life to stale unit

Clemson has fired offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter following simply one yr as the Tigers’ play-caller, coach Dabo Swinney introduced Thursday. A longtime assistant and former participant for Clemson, Streeter was promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator prior to the 2022 season, although he nonetheless held his place title. However, his departure indicators a possible turning level for Swinney, who has a historical past of selling coaches from inside his workers. 

“As the leader of this program, I am accountable for our staff and accountable for our results, and though we took a step forward offensively in 2022, after evaluating our offense in-depth, I felt it was in the best interest of our program to seek new leadership at that position,” mentioned Swinney in an announcement. “These decisions are never easy, but it is my job to evaluate and assess every part of our program every year, and this was just the right time to make a change.”

As for who will change Streeter, Clemson is focusing on TCU offensive coordinator and Broyles Award winner Garrett Riley, according to Sports Illustrated. Riley helped orchestrate the Horned Frogs’ beautiful turnaround that ended within the College Football Playoff National Championship. TCU completed the season with a top-10 scoring offense at 38.8 factors per sport.

Streeter was Clemson’s quarterback coach from 2015-21, which noticed him develop stars like Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawerence — each of whom had been drafted within the first spherical of the NFL Draft. The Tigers completed within the prime two within the ACC in passing offense 4 instances over a five-year stretch (2015-19). However, offensive numbers sharply declined in 2021 and had been higher — however not adequate — this previous season. The Tigers completed sixth within the ACC in passing offense in 2022 at 232.4 yards per sport and ninth in yards per passing try (6.8).

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei acquired a bulk of the blame for the Tigers’ incapability to stretch the sphere deep, and he was ultimately changed by true freshman Cade Klubnik within the ACC Championship Game win over North Carolina. Uiagalelei, a former five-star recruit within the Class of 2020, had two seasons to lead the offense however was unable to achieve this to the extent anticipated. 

Clemson’s offensive struggles hardly ended on the quarterback place, although. Clemson’s prime receiver, Antonio Williams, solely had 604 yards receiving. That is a far cry from what Clemson produced within the glory days with studs like Amari Rodgers, Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross. The group’s offensive line additionally regressed. The Tigers had been the ACC’s prime dashing group in 2019 at 6.37 yards per try however fell towards the center of the convention pack the next yr, and the per-rush averages by no means improved. 

The dismissal is a 180-degree change from the top coach’s typical methodology. Swinney has been been extraordinarily loyal to his assistants, and that did not change when Streeter was promoted. He additionally promoted Wes Goodwin to take over the protection after Brent Venables left to take the top teaching job at Oklahoma. 

This technique dates all the best way again to 2014. Chad Morris remodeled Clemson into an offensive energy when he took over the offense in 2011, however left to take over the top teaching place at SMU in 2015. Jeff Scott and Tony Elliott had been then promoted to co-offensive coordinators so as to preserve the Clemson offense intact. Scott took the USF head teaching job in 2020, so Elliott stayed on as the lone offensive coordinator. Streeter took over final offseason when Elliott bought the top teaching job at Virginia.

Is Streeter’s dismissal an indication that Swinney lastly agrees a program outsider will present recent eyes on the workers so as to alter to the altering faculty soccer panorama? It seems that means. Streeter is the primary coordinator Swinney has fired in additional than a decade, which means that his loyalty to members of the workers is not as robust as the necessity to win on the highest ranges. 

“I look forward to bringing in a dynamic, proven leader at offensive coordinator with the specific purpose of meeting — and raising — the standard of excellence that has been established at Clemson,” Swinney continued. “I passionately believe in our staff and in the young men in our program and am excited about the opportunity to see them grow even more in 2023.”