What Garrett Riley’s big move means for Clemson, Dabo and TCU
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ESPN staff
After a second consecutive three-loss season, Dabo Swinney is remaking the Clemson program. Last year, the Tigers head coach promoted from within when former coordinators Brent Venables (Oklahoma) and Tony Elliott (Virginia) got head-coaching jobs.
But after firing offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter on Thursday, ESPN sources say Swinney will name TCU‘s Garrett Riley to the same position. It is a shake-up at a program known for continuity — Swinney hadn’t fired an assistant coach since 2011 before this move.
Riley is fresh off winning the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant while helping guide the Horned Frogs to the national title game in his first season in Fort Worth.
What kind of playcaller are the Tigers getting? What does it say about the state of Clemson? And what’s next for TCU? David M. Hale and Dave Wilson break it all down.
What prompted this move from Clemson?
It’s hard to say Streeter was to blame for Clemson’s offensive issues in 2022. The truth is, in his first year as coordinator, Streeter actually steered the offense to markedly better numbers than 2021. But Streeter was also largely a continuation of Clemson’s past. He may not have been responsible for the downturn, but it seemed clear he wasn’t going to steer things in a new — and needed — direction. Instead, Swinney appears to have found someone in Riley who can add some serious spice to an offense that was, from an X’s and O’s standpoint, pretty vanilla. Vanilla worked with Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson and a host of NFL backs and receivers. Without them, vanilla has just looked … bland.
But perhaps the other big issue here is QB Cade Klubnik. After the failed DJ Uiagalelei experience, Clemson cannot afford to see another blue-chip QB fall short of expectations. That Klubnik couldn’t win the job throughout the regular season despite Uiagalelei’s hiccups, and that his performance in the bowl game showed some serious freshman missteps, too, there has to be a thought that a change had to be made to ensure Klubnik’s talents aren’t wasted, and he can look more like Lawrence than Uiagalelei in 2023. Given Riley’s success turning a solid-if-unspectacular QB in Max Duggan into a Heisman finalist, this is a “no excuses” move for Klubnik, too. — Hale
What does this say about where Swinney thinks the program is?
It’s hard to know exactly what Swinney’s mindset is. He bristled at even the slightest criticisms last offseason when outsiders suggested his promotion of two in-house candidates to playcaller jobs — Streeter and Wes Goodwin — might’ve been too myopic. He spent nearly all of 2022 praising Uiagalelei, too, even lambasting the media for doubting the QB — then benched Uiagalelei three times during the season and admitted, after the ACC championship game, he’d been hoping Klubnik would take over for weeks. Now he’s finally backtracked on his insistence that Streeter was the right man for the OC job, and he’s gone out to land as big a fish as there is in the coordinator ranks. Perhaps the real takeaway here is Swinney has a formula he believes in, but he’s also smart enough to know when something isn’t working. What remains to be seen, however, is whether this is the last of the staff changes and, perhaps more importantly, if he shifts his perspective on the transfer portal to address some roster limitations, too. — Hale
What kind of coordinator is Clemson getting in Garrett Riley?
Riley, like his brother Lincoln, was a quarterback under Mike Leach at Texas Tech, then started his coaching career in modest fashion, as a QB coach at a West Texas high school, then at places like Augustana, East Carolina, Kansas and Appalachian State, where he was running backs coach. TCU coach Sonny Dykes believed he complemented his own passing philosophies with a detailed running game plan, so he elevated him to OC/QB coach and the primary playcaller at SMU. In his first season in 2020, with Shane Buechele at QB, the Mustangs averaged 38.6 points per game, 15th nationally. The next year, with Oklahoma transfer Tanner Mordecai at QB, the offense ranked 10th, led the AAC in passing and averaged 38.4 ppg. Then, in his first year at TCU, he helped turn Duggan, a four-year starter who had never thrown for more than 2,100 yards or 16 TDs in a season, into a Heisman runner-up who had 3,698 yards and 32 TDs. Riley is a patient playcaller who isn’t all flash, but instead blends a power running attack — Kendre Miller ran for more than 1,200 yards between the tackles this season — with a simplified Air Raid passing scheme to wear defenses down and pop big plays. Riley has already worked wonders in just three seasons as a coordinator. — Wilson
What is first order of business for Riley at Clemson?
Riley needs to evaluate everything. All five on-field offensive assistants, prior to Streeter’s firing, were without FBS coaching experience aside from their time at Clemson. Will Riley want to keep that staff intact? Clemson’s receiving corps has failed to develop young talent in recent years, and in each of the past two seasons, the offense has relied heavily on true freshmen. Might there be options in the portal to help add some veteran presence? Will Shipley is a budding star, but his usage under Streeter was always a bit odd. Riley will need to figure out how to maximize such a valuable weapon. The offensive line showed some flashes of improvement under first-year line coach Thomas Austin last season, but it also surrendered 26 pressures in the Capital One Orange Bowl against Tennessee. But again, no issue looms larger for Riley than turning Klubnik from the freshman with potential into another Heisman candidate. The fate of the Clemson offense will be as much about that relationship as any changes to the offensive scheme. — Hale
Where does TCU go from here?
Dykes has a vision for what he needs in a coordinator. In his first five years as a head coach, he had Tony Franklin, a longtime Air Raid assistant, running the offense. Since then, he’s mentored young coaches, like Jake Spavital at Cal and Rhett Lashlee at SMU, who both became head coaches. Despite Dykes’ own background as a playcaller, his assistants have freedom in game planning and playcalling, making the job an attractive one. In nine of the past 11 seasons, Dykes’ offenses have ranked no lower than 22nd, with three top-10 performances. He has a network of options as the Air Raid has proliferated across college football. This position is one he can manage with confidence. — Wilson
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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