Report: Clemson assistant ‘getting some traction’ for UCF opening

Clemson football assistant Tony Elliott is in play for the UCF coaching vacancy, according to a national report.

Elliott and Jeff Scott serve as Clemson’s co-offensive coordinators, with Elliott also coaching running backs and Scott leading the wide receivers.

Elliott is a finalist for the Broyles Award, which is given to the top assistant coach in college football, after helping lead the Tigers back to the College Football Playoff as the No. 1 seed.

“Tony’s incredible. It’s awesome for me to get an opportunity to work with him every day. Just very, very bright, sharp mind. He communicates very well with our players, and I think there’s just a great chemistry among our staff offensively,” Scott said after Clemson’s ACC championship win over Miami. “I’m proud of Tony. He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”

Clemson is second in the ACC in scoring offense, averaging 35.4 points per game, despite losing a large chunk of its production from last year’s national title team.

The Tigers had to replace Deshaun Watson, Mike Williams, Artavis Scott and others, but are still averaging nearly 450 yards per game.

Elliott played at Clemson before joining the Tigers’ staff prior to the 2011 season.

He began his college playing career in the fall of 1999 as a walk-on and finished his playing career in 2003. He then entered the business world, working at Michelin for two years before starting his coaching career.

Elliott spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons at S.C. State, then spent three seasons at Furman before coming to Clemson.

He has played and coached football in the state of South Carolina for more than a decade.

Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables has been linked to head coaching jobs at Arkansas and Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have since filled their opening.

This story was originally published December 4, 2017 at 9:48 AM with the headline "Report: Clemson assistant ‘getting some traction’ for UCF opening."