Clemson has dismissed Offensive Coordinator and QB Coach Garrett Riley as well as Safeties Coach and Defensive Passing Game Coordinator Mickey Conn.
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Both of these moves were anticipated for over a month, but with each passing day they seemed less and less likely to come to fruition. Now they have.
Mickey Conn’s fate felt like it was sealed after his safety group played unfathomably bad against SMU and then somehow even worse against Duke. In the game against the Blue Devils, Khalil Barnes and Mickey Conn looked dismissive of Coach Swinney as he yelled at the position group on the sidelines. After that loss, Thomas Allen, Tom Allen’s son, took an elevated role with Conn, Mike Reed (Cornerbacks), and DeAndrew McDaniels (Nickel) all reporting to him. As such, Thomas Allen seems like the favorite for a promotion as a result of Conn’s departure. Nolan Turner has also been mentioned as someone who could play a more prominent role.
Garrett Riley was an exciting splash hire three years ago that was widely seen as a home run. Unfortunately, he could never get the offensive line to consistently block for his running game or get Klubnik to see the receivers he schemed open. His third down and short yardage decision making was often questionable. Memorable errors include handing off to Peter Woods instead of Keith Adams or passing to a reserve offensive lineman in short-yardage and running screen passes behind the line of scrimmage on third-and-medium.
Some interesting names have emerged as possible replacements: Jonathan Brewer (Duke), Joey Halzle (Tennessee), Andy Kotelnicki (Penn State), and Todd Monken (NFL – Ravens). For more on them and the broader moves, check out the video below:
