A Coach on the Rise: Clemson Offensive Coordinator Chad Morris

Is Chad Morris ready to build his own team? 

I have to admit, before we hired Chad Morris following the 2010 season, I had never heard of him. He had a respectable resume that included 16 years of high school experience and a one year gig at Tulsa in which we turned their offense into a high scoring machine. However, I was skeptical of what he could do to Clemson and didn't think it was a good hire for us. But Morris shut me up pretty quickly. In just two years, Chad Morris has turned Clemson into one of the most dangerous offenses in the country. Of course, it helps when you have guys like Tajh Boyd, Deandre Hopkins, Andre Ellington and Sammy Watkins to work with. Morris runs a high paced offense. quick tempo offense and keeps that wears down defenses. With his direction, Clemson was able to shatter the record books all season long and averaged over 40 points per game in 2012. The Tigers scored at will for much of the season, and made it look easy. The scary part of it all is that Chad Morris still isn't satisfied and according to him, he still hasn't "fully" installed his offense. I can only imagine what the Tigers will look like next season if Boyd, Hopkins etc stay for their senior year. With the offensive line nearly returning all its main players, Clemson has a chance to be THE best offense in the nation and have the numbers to back it up. Chad Morris is not your typical Offensive Coordinator. He coaches from the sidelines instead of the press box and has no problem grabbing his players aside after a mistake and getting them straight. He stays hydrated with Red Bull and he's puts his all into every game. He is already well respected around the country and his name continues to pop up as the off season approaches and head coaching positions need to be filled.



With all the firings that have taken place over the past month, many have thrown Chad Morris' name into the hat as a candidate. (Most notably, North Carolina State and Auburn) Though I'm not surprised, I have a few good reasons as to why I feel he is staying put in Tigertown for at least another two or three seasons. I'll start with the arguably the biggest one. CASH MONEY. Clemson upped Morris' contract last season to a 6 year deal worth about 1.3 million per year making him the second highest paid assistant coach in the nation. Many teams will have to dig really deep into their wallets to afford Morris right now and many of them simply can't afford his services right now. Next, Chad Morris already made the statement that he wanted to stay here a few years and not keep his family from moving to place to place. He loves Clemson and is committed. And to be frank, why would you leave Clemson with all the weapons he has in his arsenal right now? He has picture perfect situation with players that know and fit his system...why would you walk away when there is still so much to be accomplished? I just don't see it happening. Not right now. What many people don't realize and why Chad Morris' name wasn't very common in college football or this region before 2010...he was a high school coach. As a high school head coach in Texas (pictured above), he was 169-36, winning 80% of his games and three state titles including a back-to-back reign. This year makes his second season at Clemson. Before that, he spent one year at Tulsa turning them from a 5-7 season in 2009  to 10-3 in 2010, and before that....he coached high school football for 16 years. Now to be fair, he was very successful at the Head Coach level in high school in Texas but we all know its a big step from high school to college. Its a different ball game for coaches just like it is for players. He has proven he can coach at the college level from the assistant/coordinator level, but not sure he is quite ready to take on the head job and I'll tell you why.



Though Chad Morris passes the eye test and definitely will make a great Head Coach in the future, I don't think he's ready yet. He is a great coach with a great system and work ethic but don't forget..just four years ago he was roaming the halls of a high school making sure his players weren't doing the hankie-pankie with girls under the stairwells. I'm not just saying he isn't ready because I want him to stay at Clemson, I'd say the same if he was a candidate for the head coach job at Clemson right now. He still has some growing and learning to do before I think he'd be ready to build an entire staff and team by himself. Further proof that he isn't ready comes when you look at the South Carolina game the past two years. When he lined up against a top of the line defense, we folded like a raggedy lawn chair on the beach. He was consistent against inferior ACC opponents but being able to step up and punch tougher, more physical defenses in the mouth, similar to how they did in the first half against South Carolina, needs to happen more often. He will have another chance when the Tigers take on LSU December 31st in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia. It will be very interesting to see how the offense fairs against LSU then next season in the opener against UGA which is shaping up to be one of the biggest season openers in Clemson history.

Chad Morris has interviewed for North Carolina State and Auburn coaching jobs but I don't see him leaving for either of those schools. And if I had to bet, I believe Auburn will stay in house and hire Gus Malzhan. They can hardly afford to pay a big name to come in and coach right now which just about automatically knocks out Morris out of the picture. Don't see him taking a huge pay cut right now to head to Auburn. Rumors are flying that Oklahoma State's Gundy might leave for Arkansas and that Morris would be of interest in Cowboy country. Though I anticipate that job offer would be more appealing, again, he has too much on the table at Clemson from weapons to money and facilities to walk away at this moment.One day, but not today, he will leave Clemson and become a stellar head coach on the college level. However, I don't see that happening at least until the end of the 2014 season. So relax, Tiger nation. Our red bull chuggin', gum chewin', genius offensive coordinator isn't going anywhere. Not yet. And to be brutally honest, if Dabo doesn't get a win over South Carolina or bring in another ACC Championship or two in the next 2-3 years and Morris is still around, he might find himself at the top of the list to replace Swinney. I've said it before and I"ll say it again, you usually don't stay at Clemson long if you keep losing to that team down south. But for now, I don't anticipate seeing Morris or Swinney leaving before the end of the 2014. I'll even take it one step further. I think there is a significantly better chance that Tommy Bowden is a head coach next season before Chad Morris is. As Roy Philpott would say, Bring On The Hate!!