Former coach Jeff Scott spotted at Clemson football camp. Here’s what we know

Two months after he was fired as South Florida’s football coach, Jeff Scott said he planned on spending time with his family — and not coaching — in 2023.

But his presence at and around Clemson, where he was a beloved staffer and co-offensive coordinator for the Tigers’ 2016 and 2018 national championships, continues to turn heads.

Scott was photographed last weekend wearing Clemson gear and coaching high school prospects at the Dabo Swinney Football Camp that ran June 9-11 on campus, prompting excitement from a number of Tigers fans on Twitter.

He’s not back just yet, though.

A team spokesperson told The State on Wednesday that Scott was one of about 50 to 60 guest coaches tapped to help out with the prospect camp. The spokesperson also confirmed that Scott, 42, is not on Clemson’s full-time staff in any role, coaching or recruiting or otherwise.

Scott — a former Clemson letterman who spent 12 years on staff and developed into one of the country’s top assistants and recruiters before taking the USF job in 2019 — also worked as a guest coach for Clemson’s youth camp that ran June 6-7, the spokesperson said.

Pictures of the former Broyles Award finalist and Tigers receivers coach working directly with prospects during Clemson’s prospect camp on June 9 caused a notable online stir.

As did the fact Clemson scored commitments from two highly ranked Class of 2024 wide receiver prospects — No. 15 national recruit Bryant Wesco of Texas and No. 165 national recruit TJ Moore of Florida — earlier in the week.

Scott was a renowned recruiter and wide receivers coach at Clemson, credited with helping bring in and develop stars such as DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins, Hunter Renfrow and Tee Higgins as the program developed a “Wide Receiver U.”

A sampling of Scott reactions last week:

• “Need him coaching our Tigers!”

• “Hire him back”

• “Hard not to connect the dots with Clemson’s recent resurgence in recruiting (especially WR)”

But, as of now, neither is the case.

The Dabo Swinney Football Camp organization (which operates separately from Clemson) routinely usesdozens of guest coaches to help out with larger events such as last weekend’s three-day overnight camp, which featured about 1,200 high school-age campers.

That can include current college football coaches at the FCS, Division II and Division III levels as well former Clemson lettermen and coaches (but not current FBS coaches). Lower-level coaches are encouraged to wear their program’s gear while helping with camps, while former Tigers players and coaches wear team gear.

Outside of Scott, other Clemson program connections helping out with last weekend’s camp included former All-ACC Tigers quarterback Woody Dantzler and former starting center Jay Guillermo, who works as the offensive line coach at FCS East Tennessee State.

Scott’s participation in the prospect camp as a volunteer coach was his most direct public involvement with Clemson since he and his family moved back to Upstate South Carolina this year, a few months after his USF firing. (He also attended spring practices as a guest.)

Scott told ClemsonSports.com on Jan. 1 that he didn’t plan on coaching in 2023 and instead wanted to focus on spending time with his wife and his two young children.

On the day of Scott’s Nov. 7 firing, Swinney wished him well. Scott, naturally, has maintained strong relationships with his former boss and other Clemson staffers since leaving.

“I’ll definitely reach out to Jeff and just know he gave it everything he could down there and it just didn’t apparently work out,” Swinney said at the time. “But he’s a great coach and a great person. He’s got a great family and he’s somebody I love dearly. I know he’ll grow from it.”

Speaking on a Sunday conference call ahead a Nov. 12 home game against Louisville, Swinney also declined to discuss potentially re-hiring Scott.

“I’m not getting into any of that kind of stuff, man,” he said. “I just want to beat Louisville. That’s all I wanna do. That’s the only thing I’m focusing on right now, not all the hypothetical stuff.”