Florida football: Could Jeff Scott be a good fit for the Gators?
By Will Thomas
![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier and South Florida Bulls head coach Jeff Scott embrace after the game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 17, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Florida Bulls](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F546827abb329a200baacfdff42be9aa9e276dcf282234806b2951fdc3e7276bc.jpg "Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier and South Florida Bulls head coach Jeff Scott embrace after the game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, September 17, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs South Florida Bulls")
Florida football got news this morning that WR coach Keary Colbert was moving to Denver to be on staff for the Broncos, leaving Florida with a hole on their staff.
The loss of Colbert is nothing minor, but there are plenty of good replacement options that Napier will go after. None better, perhaps, than Jeff Scott.
Scott was the head coach at USF for three years from 2020-2022, and almost beat UF in The Swamp this past season. Before his tenure in South Florida, he was at Clemson for 11 years, working his way up from WR coach to Co-OC before moving on to his head coaching job.
Coaching wideouts at Clemson for 11 years will gain you a lot of respect, as the guys that have gone through Death Valley were some of the best receivers in the country.
Scott’s recruiting history is just stupid. He brought in some of the best receivers in their respective classes, and a few of those guys turned into Pro Bowl-caliber NFL Players.
The list includes Tee Higgins, Mike Williams, Justyn Ross, Amari Rodgers, and many other 4-5 star wideouts. He was involved in the recruitment of many other 5-stars as well, such as DJ Uiagelelei, Demarkcus Bowman, Deon Cain, Derion Kendrick, and Hunter Johnson.
When you land an elite talent like that, it’s hard to not be enticed to hire him as an assistant. Not to mention that Napier worked with Scott at Clemson from 2008-2010, so they already have a connection.
Getting the right guy to coach wideouts is really important for Billy. Ever since the likes of Kadarius Toney and Van Jefferson left, the Gators haven’t had great talent at WR that has made an impact at the next level.
At the University of Florida, the standards are higher than that. And Jeff Scott could be the guy to begin the Gators’ wideouts back up to national prominence.
Keep up with Florida football at Hail Florida Hail.