Tony Elliott says he hasn't been contacted about a job: "I'm a Clemson Tiger"

Tony Elliott says the rumors are a distraction he doesn't need

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Sun Dec 02 01:21:11 GMT-04:00 2018

CHARLOTTE, NC – In the celebration and aftermath of Clemson’s win over Pittsburgh in the ACC Championship Game, Tony Elliott was answering questions about his future and his commitment to the Clemson program.

Elliott – Clemson’s co-offensive coordinator – has had his name come up over the last few seasons for head coaching jobs around the country and last week, his name was linked to the Georgia Tech vacancy after Paul Johnson announced his retirement.

The fourth-year offensive coordinator denied being contacted by any schools about their coaching vacancies and had a very clear answer when asked about his future with Clemson.

“I haven't had any contact from anybody. I'm a Clemson Tiger and I'm not going be a distraction to anybody,” Elliott said after Clemson’s 42-10 win over Pittsburgh. “I’m focused on helping these young men. I’ve got an unbelievable situation and my family is happy here. Obviously, if it's the Lords time, He'll provide an opportunity, but right now I'm solely focused on Clemson football."

Elliott said the rumors cause an unneeded distraction.

“I hate the speculation that does get out there because it does create a distraction,” he said. “I'm locked in on the Tigers and I don't know what the future holds.”

He then said he prefers to keep his life simple, and promoting himself isn’t part of his personality.

“I keep my life simple. If you follow me, I'm not a poster on social media. I have to use social media to interact with recruits but I don't promote myself and I don't get on social media,” Elliott said. “I just keep things simple. At the end of the day, Coach (Swinney) talks all the time that you've got to bloom where you're planted and I'm just enjoying the moment.

“I know from past experience that the grass is not always greener on the other side. I've got a great group of running backs. I've got unbelievable young men that are fully committed and it would be selfish of me to preach to them to be committed and I'm out here not being committed, so that's how I keep my focus because when I look at those guys in my room, I know that they are committed and they're expecting the same out of me.”

What would happen if he was contacted about a head coaching job?

“That's a situation where I'll sit down and talk with Coach (Dabo) Swinney. I really haven't given much thought to it,” Elliott said. “I'm still growing in this role. I understand what the challenges are of being a head coach and there are some things that I have to do personally to get myself ready, but at the present moment, I'm just focusing on what I've got. If the Lord provides an opportunity, I'll have to go into prayer, talk with people that I trust and possibly look into it.”