Clemson is currently paying Garrett Riley to be the offensive coordinator at Missouri. They are on very different trajectories.
One group of Tigers is a lot more successful than the other.
This will be an interesting storyline to watch throughout the remaining college football season. Maybe Dabo Swinney got it wrong?
Missouri was cooking on offense.
Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz hired Garrett Riley as his new offensive coordinator in January. The latter was fired at Clemson after three seasons. He is already proving to be a great hire. His offense is humming through the first two games.
The Tigers (Mizzou) started the season with a blowout win over a far inferior opponent. They totaled more than 550 yards of offense with 33 first downs against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. They averaged 7.2 yards per play with 33 total first downs.
That was supposed to happen. Friday’s rivalry game was the first real test. Missouri and Kansas both started slow out of the gates. Things got rolling in the second quarter.
The Tigers went on to score 38 points in a win over the Jayhawks. Quarterback Austin Simmons threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
Donovan Olugbode and Cayden Lee both caught six passes for 120+ yards.
Running back Jamal Robers — who is technically the backup to Ahmad Hardy — ran for 125 yards and a touchdown.
It was a prolific offensive performance. Missouri’s play-caller was in his bag during the second half.
Clemson is still paying Garrett Riley.
At only 37 years old, Garrett Riley has been considered one of the top offensive minds in college football since 2020. He was named as the top assistant in the country in 2022. His offenses at SMU and TCU ranked in the top 15 in both scoring and total offense in all three seasons. And then it was off to Clemson.
The Tigers were not as good on offense in the last three years as people might’ve expected. Dabo Swinney let him go after 2025.
Clemson’s loss was Missouri’s gain. Drinkwitz hired Riley to inject life into his offense.
The two different Tigers teams are on two very different trajectories.
Mizzou totaled 469 yards in a win over Kansas. Vibes were high.
Garrett Riley, who’s getting big monthly checks from Clemson as he coaches a
— Larry Williams (@LarryWilliamsTI) September 12, 2026
QB who looked sensational last night: pic.twitter.com/h0qJ4qAXYi
On the flip side, Clemson totaled only 145 yards during a demoralizing blowout loss to LSU. Its leading passer finished with only 83 yards and an interception. Its leading rusher finished with only 21 yards.
To make matters worse, Clemson is actively paying Garrett Riley to coach at Missouri. His contract was terminated early without cause, which means he is still owed the remaining $3.5 million on his deal.
Although that number is offset by Riley’s annual salary at Mizzou, Clemson must still pay him the difference between that number and $1.25 million per year. If I had to guess, he took a pay cut with his new program knowing he would still get paid either way.