SPEAKERS

May 23, 2022

Named the fifth head coach in USF football history on Dec. 9, 2019, Jeff Scott was one of the
most respected coordinators and recruiters in the nation when he took over the Bulls program,
becoming the youngest head coach in The American as he turned 39 in December.
 
Having served as the co-offensive coordinator at Clemson since 2015 and as a member of the
Tigers’ football staff at his alma mater since 2008, Scott was a key part of the rise of one of the most
dominant football programs in the nation. He helped lead the Tigers to five straight College Football
Playoff appearances, four CFP Championship game appearances (2015, 2016, 2018 & 2019
seasons) and national titles in the 2016 and 2018 seasons while coaching in nine CFP games and
posting a 6-3 record. Scott returns to a home field in Raymond James Stadium where Clemson
scored 21 fourth-quarter points to defeat Alabama, 35-31, in the CFP National Championship game
on Jan. 9, 2017 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 five seasons serving as co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach, Clemson posted a 70-5
record and claimed five ACC championships. In 2019, Scott helped lead Clemson to 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.
 
A No. 3 seed in the CFP Playoffs, Clemson would go on to finish the season with a 14-1 record after
defeating No. 2 seed Ohio State, 29-23, and falling to No. 1 seed LSU, 42-25, in the championship
game in New Orleans. Scott remained as a coordinator with the Tigers throughout their 2019 season
playoff run while pulling double-duty assembling his first USF staff, which he completed on Jan. 10,
and recruiting his first USF signing class.
 
Clemson finished the 2019 season ranked No. 4 nationally in scoring offense (43.9 ppg) and No. 5 in
total offense (528.7 ypg) as Scott was named the Wide Receivers Coach of the Year by Football
Scoop. Higgins earned first-team All-ACC honors, finishing the season seventh nationally with 13
receiving touchdowns and 19 th  with 1,167 yards. Meanwhile, All-ACC quarterback Trevor Lawrence
passed for 3,665 yards and 36 touchdowns and All-ACC running back Travis Etienne posted 1,614
yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground.
“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 was a key figure in recruiting the talented student-athletes that led to

Clemson’s ascendance to the top of college football as he helped the Tigers claim six overall ACC
titles and eight division titles. 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 was 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 posted a 130-31 record
and reached a bowl game in each of his 12 seasons on the staff, including 33 wins over top 25
ranked teams and 16 over top 10.
 
Since Scott became co-offensive coordinator alongside Tony Elliott starting with the 2014 Russell
Athletic Bowl vs. Oklahoma, the Tigers went 70-5 (38-2 in the ACC) with just two regular season
losses and posted the four winningest seasons in program history (2018 (15-0), 2019 (14-1), 2015
(14-1), 2016 (14-1)). During that span, Clemson averaged 40 points and 500 yards per game, while
Tigers quarterbacks completed better than 66 percent of their passes.
 
In his five seasons as co-offensive coordinator, the Clemson offense averaged better than 500 yards
per game in four seasons 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, came with Scott as co-offensive coordinator, as did 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, and welcomed son, Hunter, on Aug. 10, 2020