Clemson parts ways with offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, safeties coach Mickey Conn

CLEMSON, S.C. — Two days after Clemson concluded its season with a lackluster performance against Penn State, head coach Dabo Swinney has dismissed assistant coaches Garrett Riley and Mickey Conn.

RIley had been at Clemson for the past three seasons working as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. While the offense had some moments in 2025 the Tigers could never become that high-scoring unit that was evident with the likes of Watson and Lawrence behind center. The Tigers finished seventh in the ACC in total offense, averaging 392.2 yards per game and 10th in scoring offense at 27.2 points per game. Clemson finished sixth in passing yards (267.8) and 11th in rushing (124.5).

After scoring just 10 points in the season opener against LSU, the Tigers ended the season with another one-touchdown performance. Clemson fell to Penn State 27-10 in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. The loss dropped Clemson to 7-6, the most losses for a Swinney-led team since the 2010 team finished 6-7.

Safeties coach Mickie Conn was also dismissed by Swinney. A full-time assistant at Clemson since 2017, Conn was named defensive passing game coordinator and co-special teams coordinator titles prior to the 2025 season. He first came to Clemson in 2016 as an analyst after s stellar high school career leading the program at Grayson High School in Georgia. Conn and Swinney were teammates at Alabama and Conn was a graduate assistant under Gene Stallings when Swinney was an Alabama assistant.

This past season, the Tigers’ pass defense was anything but effective after giving up an average of 251 yards per game. Clemson was routinely picked apart in the secondary and that trend continued Saturday as Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer had a career day, completed 22 of 34 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns.

Swinney released the following statement concerning his staff changes –

“I have made the decision to make a change at offensive coordinator. This was a very difficult decision. 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.

“I just want to thank Garrett for all that he did for us here at Clemson and leading us and helping us secure another ACC championship in 2024 and get us back to the College Football Playoff that year. I appreciate all of his efforts on behalf of our players and our program. 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. He’s got an amazing career ahead and he’ll be a great head coach in the future.

“We will also have a change with the leadership of our safeties with the departure of Mickey Conn. Coach Conn is someone that I’ve known since 1990 and he truly is family to me. 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.

“I’m just so appreciative of Mickey and the great contribution that he’s made at Clemson over the last decade. 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. I’m forever grateful for Mickey and all the outstanding players he’s coached and all the memorable wins and championships we’ve earned together in the last decade.

“I am excited about the plan we have in place for our secondary and our defensive staff, and I am looking forward to identifying the right leader for our offense to help achieve our goals for 2026 and beyond.”