Jeff Scott, Chad Morris Exchanging Ideas At USF Eight Years After Working Together At Clemson

A couple of weeks after Clemson lost to USF in the 2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl to finish below .500 for the only time in the past 23 years, coach Dabo Swinney hired Chad Morris to be his offensive coordinator.

Morris, only two years removed for the Texas high school coaching ranks, joined a staff that included a 30-year-old Jeff Scott, who had just completed his third season coaching receivers – he was a Clemson wideout – and serving as recruiting coordinator.

“You saw his passion, you saw his drive and his love for kids and the game,” said Morris. “For him to be underneath me at Clemson, learning our system and what we were trying to accomplish, was really special to watch.”

It was a special offense that Morris commanded, one that ranked in the top 10 in scoring twice on his watch thanks in large part to the Tajh Boyd-Sammy Watkins connection. In his four seasons in Death Valley, the Tigers went 42-11, won three bowls and were off and running to what would ultimately be two national titles and four national championship game appearances in a five-year span.

Under Morris, Scott maintained his dual roles before being elevated to co-offensive coordinator (with Tony Elliott) after Morris left for SMU following the 2014 season to take over the Mustangs for his first collegiate head-coaching gig.

Eight years later, Morris and Scott are together again, this time in Tampa after the former arrived at South Florida in July to serve as senior offensive analyst.

“I tried to get him for the last year and a half, and I was finally able to get that done this year,” said Scott.

It is a happy reunion for Morris.

“With coach Scott, his family and my family, the relationship that we have had over the years has been remarkable,” said the 56-year-old Morris. “We really enjoy our time together.”

Scott’s father, Brad, served as USF’s chief of staff the past two seasons. The elder Scott had a lengthy coaching and administrative career, including as head coach at South Carolina (1994-98) and offensive assistant (1999-2011) and assistant athletic director (2011-19) at Clemson. He retired earlier this year, leaving a void from the standpoint of the younger Scott wanting a veteran voice with which to tap into. Enter Morris.

“It helps me kind of fill that role as chief of staff and somebody for me to bounce some ideas and thoughts off of,” said the 41-year-old Scott. “Also, being a resource for (first-year offensive coordinator Travis Trickett) and the offensive staff because it is really the same offense coach Morris has been running for many years.”

Scott’s third season at USF kicks off September 3 against visiting and No. 25 BYU. It is a vital year for a coach whose team has won only three of 21 games with two of the victories against FCS opponents. Indeed, the program must show that the needle is not just moving forward, which it has been, but that such progress is reflected in the win column. Hence, bringing on a familiar face in Morris, somebody Scott learned from and enjoyed much success with, can only help the cause.

“I think he feels very comfortable in talking to me and listening to me about what we need to be thinking about moving forward,” said Morris. “That’s kind of my role. You always love to see the vision that coach Scott has. The same passion he had with us at Clemson can be seen here with what he is wanting to do and what he will get done.”

What Morris got done at SMU was take over a program that went 1-11 prior to his arrival and led the Mustangs to a 7-5 regular season and a bowl berth in his third and final season on the Hilltop. Morris was not around for what was a bowl defeat because he had left to take over at Arkansas, where he spent two seasons.

What transpired at SMU, which is in the American Athletic Conference with USF, is something Morris feels can happen in Tampa especially with the foundation Scott has been putting in place.

“You know what the blueprint looks like,” said Morris, who as an analyst cannot be involved in coaching players, but is very much involved with the staff. “The blueprint for success is there. Coach Scott has the master plan and the main thing is that he has to keep his head down, keep pushing forward and keep his staff within the culture he envisions. There are a lot of similarities from when I went into my third year at SMU and coach Scott going into his third year here at South Florida.”

Morris enjoys working with Trickett, who Scott hired in January to replace Charlie Weis, Jr. Trickett was Neal Brown’s receivers coach the past three seasons at West Virginia, his alma mater. He was also a coordinator at Samford, FAU and Georgia State.

“I think he is one of the bright young offensive minds in college football and he has a great love for the game,” said Morris, who was the offensive coordinator under Gus Malzahn at Auburn in 2020. “He has been running this system. He has studied what we did at Clemson, and studied us for a long time, so he is very familiar with the way coach Scott does things.”

Building a program, or rebuilding one, is something Morris has done. He understands the average fan may not see how solid the foundation might be. In 2022, he wants to help his good friend construct what rises above that foundation, something that everybody can see.

“From a distance, I saw the progress coach Scott made from his first year to his second year,” he said. “I think fans will start to see that progress in his third year.”