It's official: Clemson makes Garrett Riley fifth-highest-paid assistant in the country |
CLEMSON – Garrett Riley is officially a member of the Clemson football coaching staff.
The Clemson Board of Trustees Compensation Committee met Friday afternoon and approved the hiring of Riley, the former offensive coordinator at TCU, with a salary of $1.75 million per year over three years. Riley also receives a signing bonus of $300,000 and his other bonuses are consistent with the other assistants at Clemson. This makes Riley the fifth-highest-paid assistant coach in college football. Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken makes $2.01 million per season, followed by Ohio St. defensive coordinator Jim Knowles ($1.9 million). Defensive coordinator Matt House of LSU is tied for third at $1.8 million, along with offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby of Oklahoma. “I am super excited to welcome Garrett and Lindsay Riley and their two precious sons to the Clemson Family,” Swinney said. “Garrett has an incredible track record. His body of work — including this past season when his ninth-ranked scoring offense helped TCU transform from a five-win team into a 13-win national championship game finalist in their coaching staff’s first season — speaks for itself… I know all of Clemson will help welcome the Riley family into the Clemson Family with open arms.” Riley, 33, was named the Broyles Award winner as the top assistant coach in college football after helping lead the Horned Frogs to their first national championship game appearance. TCU ranked 27th in the nation in total offense (455.0 ypg) but 14th in yards per play (6.69). They tied for ninth in scoring with 38.8 points per game. Riley previously spent two years working for TCU head coach Sonny Dykes as the offensive coordinator at SMU. “I am honored and excited to join the Clemson Family,” Riley said. “The opportunity to join a program with such a rich tradition and renowned culture was simply too good for me to pass up. I have always had a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Swinney and the program he has built. I am appreciative of the faith that he, Graham Neff, Clemson’s administration and the entire Clemson community have placed in me.” Riley replaces Brandon Streeter, who had worked under Dabo Swinney since December 2014 as the Tigers’ quarterbacks coach. He spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons as Clemson’s passing game coordinator before Swinney named him offensive coordinator prior to the 2021 Cheez-It Bowl to replace Tony Elliott, now the head coach at Virginia. He played quarterback at Clemson from 1997 through 1999. Clemson ranked No. 48 nationally in total offense in 2022 but was just 72nd in yards per play. The Tigers ranked No. 99 nationally in 2021 under Elliott, No. 10 in 2020, No. 5 in 2019, No. 3 in 2018, No. 38 in 2017, No. 12 in 2016 and No. 11 in 2015. Head coach Dabo Swinney said he was looking for a change in the offensive philosophy at Clemson. "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," said Swinney in a statement. "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." Clemson will owe Streeter the $1.85 million remaining on his three-year contract, according to the deal’s buyout clause. He was making $925,000 annually. That $1.85 million would be reduced if Streeter takes another college football job for either of the next two seasons. Riley helped oversee a transformation at TCU as the Frogs jumped from 5-7 to 13-2 under Dykes, in his first year in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs moved from No. 65 to No. 9 in scoring offense thanks to Riley's efforts as quarterback Max Duggan earned a trip to New York as a Heisman finalist. FULL COMMENTS FROM DABO SWINNEY AND GARRETT RILEY Head Coach Dabo Swinney: “I am super excited to welcome Garrett and Lindsay Riley and their two precious sons to the Clemson Family. Garrett has an incredible track record. His body of work — including this past season when his ninth-ranked scoring offense helped TCU transform from a five-win team into a 13-win national championship game finalist in their coaching staff’s first season — speaks for itself.” “As I contemplated this change, Garrett was at the top of my list. I am thankful that he shared my belief in Clemson University and our football program, and I am thankful that he wants to be part of our tradition and family. He is a dynamic, young offensive coordinator who will bring a lot of excitement and explosiveness to the Clemson offense. “I look forward to getting to work and having fun this spring. I am excited to see what we can accomplish with the young quarterbacks and dynamic playmakers we have on our roster here at Clemson and hopefully light up the scoreboard at Death Valley in 2023. I know all of Clemson will help welcome the Riley family into the Clemson Family with open arms.” Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Garrett Riley: “I am honored and excited to join the Clemson Family. The opportunity to join a program with such a rich tradition and renowned culture was simply too good for me to pass up. I have always had a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Swinney and the program he has built. I am appreciative of the faith that he, Graham Neff, Clemson’s administration and the entire Clemson community have placed in me. “I also want to take a moment to thank Coach Dykes and all the players, staff and fans at TCU. What we were able to accomplish last season created a lifetime of memories for me and my family, and I am so thankful for the hard work and dedication of everyone at TCU to make our 2022 season possible. “I cannot wait to get to work with the talented players and staff already in place here at Clemson and help attract more of the nation’s best in the coming years. As I know Coach Swinney has said previously, the best is always yet to come, and I can’t wait to work with our group to hopefully see that message come to fruition in Death Valley and beyond this fall.”
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