The University of South Florida fired head football coach Jeff Scott on Sunday after winning just four of his first 30 games with the program. Special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato will serve as interim head coach. Here’s what you need to know:
- Scott was 1-8 this season and 0-5 against conference opponents.
- Only one of Scott’s four wins overall came against an FBS school (Temple) with the others coming against FCS competition (Citadel, Florida A&M and Howard).
- Scott signed a five-year contract with USF worth $12.5 million in 2019 and then signed a two-year extension in January to continue through 2026.
- Bulls defensive coordinator Bob Shoop was also fired Sunday.
Backstory
Scott was hired in December 2019 after spending 11 years at Clemson under coach Dabo Swinney. He served as co-offensive coordinator during the Tigers’ 2016 and 2018 national title seasons.
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After his rise at Clemson, Scott was hired by USF with hopes of sparking a program that had taken a step back under Charlie Strong. Strong, who was fired in 2019 after a four-win season, led the team to 17 wins and two bowl games in the two seasons prior.
In his place, Scott managed just four wins in three seasons. After winning his first game with the school in 2020, Scott wouldn’t get his second win until over a year later. His only win against an American Athletic Conference opponent came in 2021 against Temple.
Shoop, meanwhile, was in his first season at USF after previous defensive coordinating tenures at Vanderbilt, Penn State, Tennessee and Mississippi State.
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Why was Scott let go now?
By all accounts, Scott was considered a slam dunk hire at the time, given his experiences at Clemson and the way he recruited star wide receivers out of Florida for the Tigers. Especially in the Tampa area. But after Scott went 1-8 in his first season during the 2020 pandemic year, he went 2-10 in 2021 and 1-8 this season.
It all came to a head this week after a 54-28 loss at Temple that signified that the Bulls were not making progress. That’s the thing about college football jobs these days. While leashes are shorter than usual, coaches have to prove to administrators that their programs are headed in the right direction.
Recruiting took a hit, as well. After signing the nation’s No. 65 class in 2021 by the 247Sports Composite, the Bulls came in at No. 91 for 2022 and currently have the nation’s No. 96 class for 2023. – Raynor
Where does USF go from here?
Fifteen years ago, the Bulls were ranked No. 2 in the country. Now they’re at rock bottom and UCF is going to the Big 12. A new indoor practice facility was finally just built, but playing in an NFL stadium doesn’t help. It seems like UCF’s move finally woke people up to the investment that needs to be made.
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Potential candidates to watch for the job include Florida A&M head coach Willie Simmons, Penn State running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider, former Florida head coach Dan Mullen, Georgia running backs coach Dell McGee and Florida State offensive coordinator Alex Atkins. – Vannini
Required reading
(Photo: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
