Garrett Riley is out as Clemson’s offensive coordinator, coach Dabo Swinney and the program announced Monday evening.

“This was a very difficult decision,” Swinney said in a statement. “These decisions are never easy, especially when you really love and care for the people that are involved, and I deeply love and care for Garrett Riley and his family. At the end of the day, we just did not get the production and the results that we needed, and I just feel like it is time for a change, and so we will be moving in a different direction with a new offensive coordinator.”

Riley came to Clemson by way of TCU in January of 2023 (fresh off the Horned Frogs’ national championship appearance) to revamp a Tigers offense that had taken a step back under former coordinator Brandon Streeter and former quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. The Tigers had the nation’s No. 52 unit in Riley’s first year before he made notable progress in Year 2 and finished with the nation’s No. 11 offense. However, Clemson had a notable drop-off again this year, with senior quarterback Cade Klubnik struggling to meet expectations and the Tigers averaging 392.2 yards per game compared to last year’s 451.9.

Clemson particularly struggled with the run game, averaging 124.5 yards per game on the ground for the nation’s No. 104 unit. The play-calling too often looked uninspiring for a team that dominated opposing defenses through Clemson’s College Football Playoff years from 2015 to 2020.

The Tigers entered the season ranked No. 4 and were a popular pick to return to the College Football Playoff and compete for Swinney’s third national championship. But they scored 24 or fewer points in seven different games, lost six games on the year for Swinney’s worst year since 2010 and could never get in a rhythm offensively. Clemson scored just 10 points in its loss to Penn State in Saturday’s Pinstripe Bowl.

Also on Monday, Swinney parted ways with longtime safeties coach Mickey Conn, who came to Clemson nearly a decade ago after 16 seasons as the head coach at Georgia powerhouse Grayson High School.

“Coach Conn is someone that I’ve known since 1990 and he truly is family to me,” Swinney said. “He has done an amazing job here at Clemson. He’s been with us since 2016 — 10 years — and he’s been coaching the safeties since 2017 and coached a bunch of great safeties for us, including R.J. Mickens, who is a starting safety in the NFL as a rookie this year.”

The Tigers finished with the nation’s No. 119 passing defense this season, giving up 251.4 yards per game through the air.

Swinney said he was “excited” about the coming plans for the secondary and defensive staff, but did not offer specifics. He wished both Riley and Conn well and thanked them for all of their contributions with the Tigers.

“Garrett is smart, he’s got great work ethic and he’s a great coach, but it just didn’t work like we both wanted,” Swinney said. “He’s got an amazing career ahead and he’ll be a great head coach in the future.

“I’m just so appreciative of Mickey and the great contribution that he’s made at Clemson over the last decade,” he continued on Conn. “I’m thankful for his family, as well. I’m excited for upcoming opportunities he may have to go and call a defense and take the next step in his career.”