Clemson co-offensive coordinator has helped lead Tigers to five College Football Playoff appearances and two national championships
TAMPA, Dec. 9, 2019 – USF Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly today announced his selection of Jeff Scott to lead USF football as the fifth head coach in program history.
Scott will be introduced to the university and Bay area community on Wednesday on the USF campus. Details on the introductory press conference will be forthcoming.
The co-offensive coordinator at Clemson since 2015 and a member of the football staff at his alma mater since 2008, Scott has been a key part of the rise of one of the most dominant football programs in the nation. He has helped lead the Tigers to their fifth straight College Football Playoff appearance in 2019, three CFP Championship game appearances (2015, 2016 & 2018 seasons) and national titles in the 2016 and 2018 seasons. Clemson scored 21 fourth-quarter points to defeat Alabama, 35-31, in the CFP National Championship game on Jan. 9, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa to claim the program’s first national title in 35 years.
“Jeff is a very bright, enthusiastic and driven leader for our program and we are thrilled to welcome him to USF and back to Florida, where he was born and where he has recruited so well for Clemson for many years,” Kelly said. “He is a young and extremely gifted offensive mind, a developer of high-level talent and an elite national recruiter who brings the experience of having played an integral role from the beginning in helping to build one of the most successful programs in college football. We are thrilled that he and his wife, Sara, and their daughter, Savannah, are joining our Bulls family and will be part of the exciting future of USF football.”
In his fifth season serving as co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach in 2019, Scott helped Clemson claim its fifth straight ACC title and improve to 13-0 on the year with a 62-17 ACC Championship game victory over Virginia in which the Tiger posted 619 yards of offense. Wide receiver Tee Higgins was named the game MVP after posting nine receptions for 182 yards and three touchdowns. Clemson will enter its CFP semifinal matchup with Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 28 ranked No. 3 nationally in total offense (547.7 ypg) and No. 4 in scoring offense (46.5 ppg).
“I have great respect for the USF football program and what has been accomplished in a very short time and can’t wait to get to work building on that foundation to produce a championship program,” Scott said “I am thankful to President Currall and Michael Kelly for this tremendous opportunity and their support and belief in me. It is difficult to leave my alma mater and the great program we have built at Clemson, but I believe we can do great things at USF. I am thankful to Coach Swinney and all the Clemson players and staff for the great experiences and lessons that have prepared me to lead USF football. Go Bulls!”
Born in Arcadia, Fla., Scott has been a key figure in recruiting the talented student-athletes that have led Clemson’s ascendance to the top of college football. He took over as Clemson’s recruiting coordinator in December of 2008 and served in that role until 2014, leading the Tigers to top 10 ranked classes in his first season of 2009 and also in 2011 and 2012. Continuing as an elite recruiter while taking on coordinator duties, he has been named a top 10 recruiter nationally by ESPN.com (2014), a top 25 national recruiter seven times by Rivals.com (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) and the ACC Recruiter of the Year in 2015 by Rivals and in 2018 by 247Sports.
“I am delighted to welcome Jeff Scott to the University of South Florida community,” USF President Steven C. Currall said. “We seek to attract top talent across our entire University, and Coach Scott fits that profile as one of college football’s most promising coaches. He brings national championship-level experience to USF from a very successful, highly regarded football program. I congratulate Michael Kelly for his leadership throughout the search process, and I am confident about the future of USF football under the direction of Coach Scott.”
A 2018 Broyles Award finalist as the top assistant coach in the nation, Scott has been exceptional at guiding student-athletes to record-setting success. He became Clemson’s wide receivers coach midway through the 2008 season when Dabo Swinney took over as interim head coach and then added co-offensive coordinator duties under Swinney in 2015. The Tigers have posted a 129-30 record and reached a bowl game in each of his 12 seasons on the staff, including 32 wins over top 25 ranked teams and 15 over top 10.
Since becoming co-offensive coordinator alongside Tony Elliott starting with the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl vs. Oklahoma, the Tigers have gone 69-4 (38-2 in the ACC) with just two regular season losses and posted the three winningest seasons in program history (2018 (15-0), 2015 (14-1), 2016 (14-1)). During that span, Clemson has averaged 40.3 points and 503 yards per game, gaining 6.6 yards per play while Tigers quarterbacks completed 66.3 percent of their passes.
In the last five seasons, the Clemson offense has averaged better than 500 yards per game four times and set 138 team and individual records, including marks for total offense (2018, 527.2 ypg), scoring offense (2018, 44.3 ppg), passing offense (2016, 5,009 yards), rushing offense (2018, 3,723 yards) and total touchdowns (2018, 90). The top three total offense seasons in program history, all over 7,500 yards, have come with Scott as co-offensive coordinator, as have the top three scoring seasons, all with 577 points or better. Clemson produced the fifth 4,000-yard passing season in school history in 2018 and it joined the 2015 season as the only seasons in school history to feature 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards.
Eight wide receivers Scott has coached were on 2019 NFL rosters. Included among the standouts he coached at Clemson are Bay area products, Ray Ray McCloud, Deon Cain and Artavis Scott (All-ACC, 2014-16). He also coached Fort Myers, Fla., product Sammy Watkins, a two-time All-American who set school season records for receptions (101), receiving yards (1,464) and touchdowns (12) in 2013 and career marks for receptions (240), receiving yards (3,391) and receiving touchdowns (27) before being selected in the first round NFL Draft. Under Scott, DeAndre Hopkins earned second-team All-America honors before being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft and going on to make three Pro Bowl appearances. More recently, Scott has coached Mike Williams (All-ACC & Second Team All-American, 2016) and Hunter Renfrow (2018 Burlsworth Trophy winner) among many outstanding student-athletes.
Scott served as head coach at Blythewood (S.C.) High School (2005-06) and won a 3A state title in the first year the program fielded a varsity team. He entered the college ranks as wide receivers coach at Presbyterian College in 2007 before returning to Clemson as a graduate assistant in 2008.
Scott graduated cum laude from Clemson in 2003 with a degree in mathematics, having earned President’s List recognition with a 4.0 grade-point average in 2001 and 2002. He went on to earn a master’s degree in education instruction technology from American Intercontinental University (2005).
He was a three-year letterman at wide receiver at Clemson (2000-2002) and was named the Outstanding Senior Male Athlete and recipient of the Athletic Director’s Excellence Award. The Tigers reached three bowl games during his time as a player.
Scott and his wife, Sara, have a young daughter, Savannah.
About USF Football
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and is in its 23rd season (20th at the FBS level) in 2019. The Bulls have posted 15 winning seasons, earned 14 All-America selections and 29 first-team all-conference selections and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft.USF has made 10 bowl games appearances (going 6-4 in those games) and posted a program record six straight appearances from 2005-2010. The Bulls most recently made four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18 and posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016 while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings during the 2007 season.
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– #GoBulls –
