How ‘bout them Cowboys? What Clemson’s Tony Elliott said about Dallas job talk

Tony Elliott didn’t go through his typical pregame routine before Saturday’s ACC Championship Game against Virginia.

Instead of listening to his usual musical selection, the Clemson co-offensive coordinator put the headphones down and walked around, soaking in the experience of the Tigers going for their fifth consecutive conference championship, which they accomplished with a 62-17 victory.

For Elliott, whose name has been placed on several coaching candidate lists for the last week, it wasn’t any kind of admission that his time at Clemson is ending. He’s not focused on that.

It was more about what’s been a trying year for the nine-year assistant coach.

“There’s going to be a time and place for my future,” Elliott said. “I really believe that. Today was more about me really appreciating being with these guys and me really cherishing the accomplishments that they’ve had.”

It doesn’t appear that future is with one of the most storied professional teams in all of sports.

Elliott was asked Saturday about a report by NFL Network’s Jane Slater that he is on the short list to potentially replace Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett if owner Jerry Jones makes a move this season.

He immediately began laughing at the notion.

“Do you believe that? The Dallas Cowboys? That’s really flattering — but Dallas Cowboys? I think that might be too much for me to bite off, more than I can handle, especially with not having any (head coaching) experience,” Elliott said. “I don’t know how it got out there. I think sometimes people want to reach and grab for things.”

That doesn’t mean there aren’t realistic college football programs eyeing Elliott as a head coach.

The former Clemson player has been linked to USF and has seen his name pop up on job lists for Missouri and Boston College.

“I really don’t like this time of year because it forces my name to come up, which is unfair to these players,” said Elliott, who was a candidate for the Georgia Tech job last year. “I understand why it’s happening, but it’s happening because of all those guys in that locker room.”

Elliott maintains his focus is on Clemson’s next step, the College Football Playoff. But this has been a difficult year. Two former running backs, C.J. Fuller and Tyshon Dye, tragically died this year.

“It really, really changed my perspective on things,” Elliott said. “I’ve got two little boys that are growing up so fast. It has nothing to do with my future. Time is going by really, really fast.”

Meanwhile, fellow offensive coordinator Jeff Scott has also been linked to several coaching vacancies, including Ole Miss (filled Saturday by Lane Kiffin), Missouri, USF, Memphis and FAU.

Scott was unavailable following the ACC Championship Game for media interviews due to a scheduling conflict, according to a Clemson representative.