Jeff Scott understood he could be selective. Picky, even.
As long as he was a key cog in sustaining a dominant Clemson offense, head coaching overtures would flow in each December. He could wait for one he wanted, one with obvious advantages that can foster a fast path to winning. Coaching at his alma mater was a fine situation, after all.
After five years as Clemson’s co-offensive coordinator and 13 overall serving under Dabo Swinney, Scott finally jumped at a job that checks the boxes. It has recent success. It’s in his home state. The recruiting base is lush. It’s an attractive destination for bounce-back Power Five transfers who are from Florida. Swinney even encouraged him to take it.
But first, the program needs a hard reset.
South Florida (1-0) hired the 39-year-old Scott in December as its head coach, replacing former Notre Dame assistant Charlie Strong, who was fired after amassing a 21-16 record in three seasons. Since Oct. 27, 2018, though, the Bulls went 4-14, including a 4-8 record last year.
Scott debuted with a 27-6 win over The Citadel Sept. 12.
USF is only three years removed from consecutive 10-win seasons, but expecting a jump back to that level in Scott’s debut season is a reach. Its American Athletic Conference schedule includes most of the league’s powers. The trip to South Bend to take on the Irish Saturday (2:30 p.m., USA Network) was a last-minute addition that created an even more challenging short-term path to a winning season.
The 2019 season was a cratering. Moving the ball and scoring points was an exercise in futility. USF was 78th in the preseason SP+ rankings, ahead of one other AAC team, Tulsa.
