Could Clemson football have some turnover among its staff
Clemson football Offensive Coordinator Tony Elliott has been rumored as a viable candidate to replace Jeremy Pruitt at Tennessee according to reports.
New Tennessee Athletic Director Danny White had Elliott on his short list three years ago for the Central Florida job after Scott Frost departed for Nebraska.
Clemson football fans have reason to worry this time around if indeed Tony Elliott gets an opportunity to interview. The opportunity to get your first job at a football crazed SEC institution, with the resources and support would be hard to turn down.
Whoever takes the Tennessee job faces a significant uphill battle to rebuild the program. That said it would be hard not to at least have a conversation with Elliott given his industry wide respect for his character, integrity and work ethic.
Especially after reports of NFL teams reaching out to him about assistant opportunities.
If Elliott were to leave, it could create more turnover for Clemson football than just him
Tony Elliott’s potential departure could create even more turnover within the Clemson football program, which has seen nearly a dozen people move on as Coach Swinney’s coaching tree begins to expand.
IF Elliott were to take the Tennessee job it would be expected that he would likely take some Clemson staffers with him.
The possible loss of Tony Elliott could be more significant than some Clemson fans want to think. There is no doubt Coach Swinney has a plan but there would be large shoes to fill. There have been some who have criticized Elliott at times (self included) for seemingly lacking creativity in play design but it hard to throw darts at a man who has gone 80-7 as a primary play caller.
Regardless of how Clemson fans feel about Tennessee football this would be quite the opportunity for Elliott to start out at a university with all the infrastructure and desire to win.
While the overhaul is daunting and he would face Saban, Smart and Mullen on annual basis, there is opportunity to win big there over time. With the population shift there are increasing numbers of high level athletes in the state of Tennessee (see Tee Higgins, Amari Rogers, Mike Jones and Jake Briningstool) coupled with the ability to dip into Georgia, Florida and Alabama the job is certainly worth the consideration.
Eventually Elliott will leave Clemson to become a head football coach will it be sooner rather than later? That remains to be seen.