Garrett Riley believes Clemson is 'just different' after experiencing it for himself

Garrett Riley had heard plenty of positive things about Clemson before agreeing to leave TCU and become the Tigers offensive coordinator.

After five-plus months on the job, it’s safe to say Riley is pleased with his decision.

Clemson Athletics Director Graham Neff recently joined Eric Mac Lain and Kelly Gramlich on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast. Neff shared that he recently had dinner with Riley and his wife. Riley couldn’t say enough about his time at Clemson thus far.

“[We] were just coming off of June official visits and a heavy recruiting month. And Garrett’s been here now six months, less than that. So we were just having a portion of our conversation. He was remarking, ‘Gah, it’s just different here,’” Neff recalled. “He hasn’t been at Clemson before… and just how, even recruiting or officials visits work, certainly how coach Swinney leads the program and the culture of the program, of the locker room.”

Garrett Riley was in a good spot at TCU working under Sonny Dykes, but the opportunity to learn from a two-time national championship-winning head coach in Dabo Swinney was too much to pass up.

“That reputation of Clemson, of coach Swinney – different to work for, go about our business differently in a Clemson unique way, that was a big part of his pull or his consideration to come and leave an awesome set up at TCU, national championship game, and come to Clemson, because he had heard that, he sensed that, he desired that for he and his family and his career,” Neff said.

Clemson not only has a reputation with fans and recruits for being different in a positive way, it also expands to coaches.

That paid off for the Tigers and Swinney as they landed arguably the top offensive coordinator in the country. Riley won the Broyles Award given to the top assistant coach in college football last season.

“Now for him, for six months kind of fire hosing it, but to be able to look back a half year and kind of recognize and have experienced that… for him seeing the reality of the reputation of Clemson, sure from a recruiting, from a college football world, but even in coaching circles and how learning from coach Swinney and seeing how things are done differently at different places and how that should help Garrett continue to be a great coach at Clemson and whatever’s ahead for him, I think is a cool part of that allure and that statement of what that change and what that attraction was for him,” Neff said.