TAMPA, FLA. NOV. 6, 2022– University of South Florida Head Football Coach Jeff Scott has been relieved of his duties effective immediately, Vice President/Director of Athletics Michael Kelly announced Sunday.
Special Teams Coordinator Daniel Da Prato will serve as Interim Head Coach for the remainder of the 2022 season.
Kelly also announced that Defensive Coordinator/Safeties Coach Bob Shoop has been relieved of his duties and Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach Ernie Sims will assume leadership of the Bulls' defense.
"When Jeff came to Tampa in December of 2019, we had high expectations for where he could take our football program," Kelly said. "While he did so many things right, including rebuilding our culture, pushing forward our Indoor Performance Facility, and engaging our community, the on-the-field results fell well below our standards. He is a tremendous person and class individual and we wish him, Sara, Savannah and Hunter all the best in the future.
"In the days ahead, I will share information about our search for a new head coach. Our focus right now is on the talented young men in our football program."
"I would like to thank our players, coaches and staff members for all their hard work during my time as the head coach at USF," Scott said. "I especially want to thank USF President Rhea Law and Vice President/Director of Athletics Michael Kelly for giving me the incredible opportunity to lead the football program the last three years. I will miss this team and will do anything in my power to help them in the future. I am disappointed that our hard work didn't translate to more success on the field, but I am confident that we have set a new foundation. I know the future of USF football is bright and my family and I will always remember our time at USF as a very special chapter in our lives."
"I fully support Michael Kelly's difficult decision to change the leadership of our football program and move us in a different direction," USF President Rhea Law said. "I thank Coach Scott for his dedication to the University of South Florida and wish nothing but the best for him and his family in the future. Unfortunately, our football team's results have fallen short of our expectations and what our fans deserve. We are fully committed to finding a new coach who can rebuild the program and consistently put a winning team on the field."
Da Prato has been at USF since December of 2019 and has previous stops at Arkansas, Colorado and Montana State among others. Sims joined USF in 2020 after working on the football staff at Florida Atlantic.
USF returns to Raymond James Stadium Saturday for just the second time in the last eight games as the Bulls take on SMU (5-4; 3-2) in a noon kickoff on ESPNU.
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and celebrated its 25th season in 2021 while breaking ground on a $22 million Indoor Performance Facility. The Bulls have posted 15 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections, including 2021 consensus All-American Brian Battie, and 31 first-team all-conference selections. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and has made 10 bowl games appearances (going 6-4 in those games), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and most recently making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. The Bulls posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016 while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings during the 2007 season.
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*PER USF Communications