Less than two months into his tenure, Josh Heupel is still getting settled in as the new Tennessee football head coach. That’s made harder given the fact that many fans weren’t supportive of the hire when it was made.
One of the names that popped up before Heupel’s hiring was Clemson Tigers offensive coordinator Tony Elliott. We wrote at the time that he had the potential to be an under-the-radar splash hire for the program.
However, in Heupel’s introductory press conference, athletic director Danny White emphasized that Heupel was the only person offered the Tennessee football job. He said any “rhetoric to the contrary” is not true.
"“We made one job offer. We got our No. 1 candidate.”"
Well, how true is that? Quotes from Elliott in a recent AP story by Pete Iacobelli seem to imply something different. The story says that Elliott spoke with the Vols before “choosing to remain with the Tigers.” Here is how he is quoted in the story.
"“Definitely, it was something that I really had to sit down and think about and consider and pray about, and talk to people, and try to find the right confirmation,” Elliott said. “At the end of the day, when I put everything on the table, it just wasn’t the right time.”"
Now, that seems to imply that Elliott had a shot at the job and turned it down. Is White being truthful when he says that he only offered the job to Heupel? Remember, White admitted in that same press conference that he was trying not to hire Heupel in his nationwide search. It’s odd to make that claim but also claim that Heupel was their top candidate.
To be fair to White, he did say that he talked to numerous coaches nationwide, including assistants, up and comers and experienced coaches. Elliott saying that he spoke with White wouldn’t contradict that.
On the other hand, Elliott saying that it wasn’t the right time and the story saying remaining with Clemson after the interview was his choice seems to imply he rejected Tennessee football. That certainly isn’t consistent with what White said at the press conference.
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Honestly, if White wasn’t fully truthful, he only hurt himself. The hire of Heupel would have had more people on board if White made the case that he was rejected by other coaches. Given the state of the Vols, coming off a 3-7 season and under an NCAA investigation, you could see why numerous coaches would be scared off.
Elliott, who has spent 10 years with the Clemson Tigers and the last six as either an offensive coordinator or co-offensive coordinator, is clearly being careful about saying yes to a head coaching opportunity. It’s obvious he’s waiting for one that’s right for him.
At the same time, you could see how Heupel would be White’s top choice given the fact that the two were together with the UCF Knights for three years. It’s possible that Elliott told White he wasn’t interested before White could offer the job, which gives him leeway to say that Heupel was his top choice. Or maybe Elliott pulled his name before White could reject him.
Simply put, every scenario laid out somewhat makes sense. However, more context is needed when it comes to how the Tennessee football coaching search played out. Something just seems off when looking at the comments from Elliott and White.