Confused by Tony Elliott Support

[Em_Jae20]

I'm not a CPJ basher, I wanted him to remain thru the end of his last contract extension. But as for why I like Tony Elliott is that he is a departure from who we normally go for. Its always a coach from a lesser school who did more with less, coupled with the thinking that he can come to a higher level and do the same. Elliott would be a welcome change. If we want to compete we have to appeal to the youth, which is something we haven't consistently done in many years.

 

[panther42]

One other thing...look at Kirby Smart. He left Alabama to go to a school similar to Bama. Has he done a good job? Yes. But look at Bama...have they suffered w/out Smart? No. At places like Bama or Clemson, the structure is in place so the assistants are just "plug and play". Sure, they have to know football to work at these places.

Agree with this wholeheartedly, Clemson did it when Chad Morris left. Doesn't seem like Clemson missed a beat. Morris on the otherhand has struggled at SMU, and at Arkansas.

 

[bobongo]

So all the sudden, this guy is the solution to all of our recruiting woes due to academic constraints and money...

I don't understand why that is a knock on him. Just because he can't solve the academic and monetary recruiting restraints, how is that counted against him? No other coach can solve that, either. If (if) he can provide a boost to our recruiting in other ways, that's to the good. By all accounts he's a good recruiter and knows the area. It's true that he recruited for a school with fewer restraints, but that applies to almost all the prospective coaches.

 

[bobongo]

The question is, "why Elliott"? I'll answer by reiterating the parts of his resume that impress me, which are those parts that speak to his potential as a winner.
He walked on, but earned a scholarship and was named a team captain. That spells leadership and belief in his own abilities and resourcefulness.
He was a true student/athlete, getting an i.e. degree with a 3.55 g.p.a. That means he's smart and hard-working, and I want a smart, hard-working coach. And he knows what it means to be a true student/athlete, which is the kind of athlete we have here.
What he has already proven is that he is a good recruiter and a good coach. Clemson has more talent than we have, but for those who imagine that Clemson's talent is on a par with Alabama's, it is not. It has been coached up. If he's been calling the plays at Clemson for only one year, think of how successfully he's done that - in his first year.
No, he hasn't proven himself as an HC, but his resume to date would suggest that the only reason for that is because he hasn't gotten a chance, yet. He has success written all over him, and I want a guy like that as our HC. He has blazed a trail behind him of winning and success, he's only 39, and there is every indication that he will continue to win and be successful as he has done to this point. Somebody suggested he's like lightening in a bottle. Well, maybe he is. I want somebody with a big potential upside, who is on his way up, someone who has made his own way and not sought the easy road but has had faith in himself and his abilities. Elliott seems to fit the bill.

 

[MidtownJacket]

The question is, "why Elliott"? I'll answer by reiterating the parts of his resume that impress me, which are those parts that speak to his potential as a winner.
He walked on, but earned a scholarship and was named a team captain. That spells leadership and belief in his own abilities and resourcefulness.
He was a true student/athlete, getting an i.e. degree with a 3.55 g.p.a. That means he's smart and hard-working, and I want a smart, hard-working coach. And he knows what it means to be a true student/athlete, which is the kind of athlete we have here.
What he has already proven is that he is a good recruiter and a good coach. Clemson has more talent than we have, but for those who imagine that Clemson's talent is on a par with Alabama's, it is not. It has been coached up. If he's been calling the plays at Clemson for only one year, think of how successfully he's done that - in his first year.
No, he hasn't proven himself as an HC, but his resume to date would suggest that the only reason for that is because he hasn't gotten a chance, yet. He has success written all over him, and I want a guy like that as our HC. He has blazed a trail behind him of winning and success, he's only 39, and there is every indication that he will continue to win and be successful as he has done to this point. Somebody suggested he's like lightening in a bottle. Well, maybe he is. I want somebody with a big potential upside, who is on his way up, someone who has made his own way and not sought the easy road but has had faith in himself and his abilities. Elliott seems to fit the bill.

I mean.. this is a compelling hot take.

 

[bobongo]

I mean.. this is a compelling hot take.

Elliott is an inspiring, compelling candidate IMO.

 

[Techster]

People act like Elliott is just some Assistant coach making hay with talent he didn't recruit or coach.

Elliott is a Broyles award WINNER, developed talent at the most important position. Yes, it's 4 and 5 star talent, but developing them is not as easy as just signing them and lining them up to play. Ask Jim Harbaugh about that. Ask Texas...ask FSU...ask Kevin Sumlin who struggled with 3 straight 5 star QBs (one of whom will be at the Heisman ceremony representing Oklahoma). Elliott game plans, and has in game play calling experience. He is the guy calling the plays...NOT the other Co-OC.

Oh, and do you see all the intangibles and compelling recruiting angle he brings to the table? If not, scroll to previous posts in the coaching search thread, I've listed them.

 

[4shotB]

Agree with this wholeheartedly, Clemson did it when Chad Morris left. Doesn't seem like Clemson missed a beat. Morris on the otherhand has struggled at SMU, and at Arkansas.

Are you suggesting that there is a correlation between a hot young coordinator's success as a HC and where he chooses to take his head coaching job? Or am I reading too much into your post?

 

[Treb1982]

Somebody who could recruit.

Recruiting to Clemson is way different than recruiting to Tech.

 

[Techster]

Recruiting to Clemson is way different than recruiting to Tech.

That's exactly why GT needs a GOOD recruiter with an system that attracts recruits...on BOTH sides of the ball.

 

[gtphd]

Elliott is an inspiring, compelling candidate IMO.

Elliott is very compelling and he’s one of my favorites for the role.

The reason he’s potentially lightning in a bottle is the same reason he could be a disaster: we just don’t know a ton about him. It’s like going out with a woman you’ve only met once. She might be the one, or she might have severed heads in her freezer.

Whisenhunt or similar won’t get us into the playoffs. Even if there’s a 5% chance Elliott will, I’d take that over a 0% chance.

 

[gtphd]

Recruiting to Clemson is way different than recruiting to Tech.

The standards are also different.

A good year at Clemson is five 5*, ten 4*.
A good year at Tech is three 4*.

 

[charles]

The standards are also different.

A good year at Clemson is five 5*, ten 4*.
A good year at Tech is three 4*.

Not bashing Elliott but he learned everything from Chad Morris now at Arkansas and he was a disaster in his 1st year with

 

[bobongo]

Elliott is very compelling and he’s one of my favorites for the role.

The reason he’s potentially lightning in a bottle is the same reason he could be a disaster: we just don’t know a ton about him. It’s like going out with a woman you’ve only met once. She might be the one, or she might have severed heads in her freezer.

Whisenhunt or similar won’t get us into the playoffs. Even if there’s a 5% chance Elliott will, I’d take that over a 0% chance.

One of the knocks on Elliott is his lack of experience. But he has a lack of experience because he's worked his way up the ladder so quickly. At 27, he was in his first year of coaching as receivers coach at S.C. State. By 35 he was co-OC at Clemson, and by 38 he was calling their plays. Shooting stars rarely have a lot of experience, but that's because they're on their way up so fast. And they're on their way up so fast because they're good at what they do.

 

[lv20gt]

Recruiting to Clemson is way different than recruiting to Tech.

No it isn't way different. Recruiting is fundamentally the same. Selling recruits on the positives of your school and trying to explain away the negatives while present a picture of the future they want to be a part of. There are always differences between schools but people act like it takes nothing to recruit at some of these places when they are the ones who are going toe to toe most often with the best recruiters. The same attributes that make someone a good recruiter at Clemson will be helpful in helping us recruit better. It won't lead to the same level of classes (which is where the differences come in), but there is a lot of ground between where we are now and what we could e.

 

[kg01]

No it isn't way different. Recruiting is fundamentally the same. Selling recruits on the positives of your school and trying to explain away the negatives while present a picture of the future they want to be a part of. There are always differences between schools but people act like it takes nothing to recruit at some of these places when they are the ones who are going toe to toe most often with the best recruiters. The same attributes that make someone a good recruiter at Clemson will be helpful in helping us recruit better. It won't lead to the same level of classes (which is where the differences come in), but there is a lot of ground between where we are now and what we could e.

I think I totally agree with everything you wrote.

I know ... it scares me too.

 

[Madison Grant]

Recruiting 4 and 5 stars to Clemson is way different than recruiting 4 and 5 stars to Tech.

fixed
I don't know about others, but I don't expect someone like Elliot or Geoff Collins to be able to recruit Clemson or UGAg's classes to Tech. That's not what I'm asking for. I fully believe that without the stigmas of the option offense, we can land a fair share of these high 3* and low 4* players we've been targeting and losing out on to mediocre SEC programs like South Carolina and Tennessee (sorry,MikeJackets), or even the high academic DE from Macon a couple years back that went to Stanford. We can raise the profile of our program and get out of the Boston College, Syracuse, Wake talent cellar of the conference. Then you hope whoever you hire has the ability as a coach to make use of that.

Don't get me wrong. I am not slamming CPJ. I realize and appreciate what he did here. And he's an absolute genius at what he did. What would be the point of bringing in someone like Monken? That one I don't get. If you're going to do the option, convince CPJ to stay. No one's better at it. But even CPJ's genius and mind couldn't overcome the talent disadvantages we were up against. That's why he was always talking about 'execution', in my opinion. It wasn't directed at us. It was directed at opposing DCs. He knew they knew he called the right play a lot of times.

 

[Jophish17]

fixed
I don't know about others, but I don't expect someone like Elliot or Geoff Collins to be able to recruit Clemson or UGAg's classes to Tech. That's not what I'm asking for. I fully believe that without the stigmas of the option offense, we can land a fair share of these high 3* and low 4* players we've been targeting and losing out on...

While I hope Elliot could attract more talented players, let’s not forget he and his staff also need to be able to develop them to play at a high level in the ACC. I’m pretty optimistic with Elliot but I think the ability to develop players is where he concerns me the most. Not sure if he can or can’t do it. He likely won’t have a Clemson-sized staff to do it.

 

[UgaBlows]

Say what you will about Dabo but the man has a very good eye for hiring talented coaches and putting the right people in charge of the various components of his program. He recognized Tony Elliot very early on as a rising star and hired him to an elevated position at Clemson the very first opportunity that he got.

 

[stech81]

I really like Elliot but I'm not sure now how sure we are going after him.This is Tech the next coach we will hire most will have to Google it find who he is and what he has done.