ZIER: It's year 3 and USF head coach Jeff Scott knows he needs to win
The Bulls have better players and are better in many ways since Scott took over, but in the final analysis his team will be judged by results
TAMPA — It has to change, and it has to change now, and South Florida Coach Jeff Scott knows that. Three years ago, Scott took over a listless college football program that was on the verge of collapse from Charlie Strong and was given the task of bringing it back to life.
Enthusiastic and determined and drawing on his experience at Clemson, where he had been co-offensive coordinator, Scott set about changing the culture, working to convince his players that they could — and would — win while trying to create a different attitude, a different atmosphere, a more positive set of expectations.
But there was a long road ahead. As John McKay once said, losing teams go through three stages before they start to believe in themselves. First, McKay said, the players "hope" they can win. Next, they "think" they can win. And finally, they "know" they can win. "When they get to that point, then you've got a good team," McKay declared.Q
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For the last two years, Scott has been pushing the positive. He has come through COVID and injuries which, at times, have left him so short handed that some of his defensive players were playing almost every snap. He has insisted that the Bulls are making progress, developing depth and improving at the skill positions.
Scott is a super salesman, and there seems little doubt that USF is getting better players and is better in many ways now then it was when he took over. But in the final analysis, Scott and his team will be judged by the same thing all teams are judged by — results. And over the first two years, the results haven't been there. A 1-8 record in his first season followed by a 2-10 mark in 2021, and just win over an FBS team, East Carolina, last year.
To some extent, Scott has been given a pass his first two seasons. He is charismatic and has definitely created a lot of positive energy around his program. The new $22 million indoor practice facility, which will open this fall, is proof of that. But the simple truth is that he has to win this year. The scoreboard has to validate what he says is taking place.
He is in no danger of losing his job, whatever happens, but he is in danger of losing his credibility. If this team is 2-10 or 3-9, doubts are going to start to creep in. There will be a nervous shuffling of feet. People are going to start to wonder if this will really work. And the schedule doesn't help. Road games at Louisville, Florida, Cincinnati and Houston plus home contests against BYU and Central Florida will be penciled in as losses by most.
"I believe we've made a lot of progress," Scott said recently. "We've added a lot of depth and that's something I've been concerned about. One good thing about the transfer portal, you can flip your roster much more quickly than you used to.
"When you add high school players, they have to be developed before they can really help you. With the transfer portal, you can add players that can contribute right away and the relationships you have with college coaches, they're much more likely to give you an honest assessment of a player's ability, what kind of fit they'll be."
"But there's no question, it's time for us to have success on the field. We've laid the foundation with our staff and players. It's year three. We need to win."