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USATSI

South Florida fired coach Jeff Scott on Sunday after the Bulls lost to Temple, 54-28, one day earlier. Special teams coach Daniel Da Prato will take over on an interim basis. Scott was 4-26 in three years at USF with seven straight losses and a 1-8 overall record in 2022.

"When Jeff came to Tampa in December of 2019, we had high expectations for where he could take our football program," said athletic director Michael Kelly. "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."

Scott's career leading the Bulls began during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when he went 1-8 with the lone win coming in his first game, a 27-6 win over The Citadel. South Florida went 2-10 the following season with wins over Florida A&M and Temple -- Scott's only victory over an FBS opponent. The Bulls topped Howard on Sept. 10 for their only win of the 2022 season.

"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."

Scott received a two-year extension in January despite the lack of success in Tampa. He hired by South Florida after spending the previous 12 seasons on Dabo Swinney's staff at Clemson where he was a part of two national championship teams (2016, 2018). Scott was Clemson's co-offensive coordinator from 2015-19 when he coached star quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence.