Tony Elliott having fun at new spot, says it's an honor to switch for Spiller

Elliott coaches the tight ends during a recent practice.

David Hood · Senior Writer · Tuesday, April 13 2021

Tony Elliott made the transition from coaching the running backs to coaching tight ends this spring, and it was evident that he was not only having fun with the move but he was also attacking the job with a renewed sense of urgency.

Elliott spent three seasons (2008-10) as wide receivers coach at Furman and two seasons (2006-07) at SC State before arriving at Clemson prior to the 2011 season. Clemson’s run of 10-straight 10-win seasons started when he became a full-time assistant coach. Clemson is 121-18 since he returned to Clemson in 2011.

He was the recipient of the 2017 Frank Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach and was named Running Backs Coach of the Year by FootballScoop in 2017. Elliott transitioned from running backs to tight ends and added the assistant head coach title in early 2021, a move that head coach Dabo Swinney didn’t hesitate to make.

“Tony can coach anything,” Swinney said. “That’s why we made the move. It’s very easy for him because he knows every position inside and out. He’s having fun.”

Elliott made the move to the tight ends spot so former Tiger star CJ Spiller could move into a full-time role to coach the running backs.

“It’s a real honor to be asked to move positions so C.J. Spiller could come in,” Elliott said. “Because I’m a guy that knows all about the program, and if there wasn’t C.J. Spiller, then I wouldn’t be in this position that I’m in today. So, first and foremost, it was an honor that Coach (Swinney) would ask me to move positions so that C.J. could come in.”

Elliott said a similar situation happened to him when he coached at Furman.

“It’s also an opportunity for me to pay back because a similar situation happened to me at Furman,” Elliott said. “When I was hired at Furman, the receivers coach transitioned to running backs so that I could have an opportunity to come on staff. So, it’s pretty cool to see how the Lord brought that back on me.”

Elliott said he believes Spiller can provide the running backs a unique perspective.

“He can talk about some things that I may not have personally experienced – just the true preparation process as a running back,” Elliott said. “I can talk specifically about wideout because that’s what I played. I did the best I could to try and teach myself that, but he has firsthand knowledge. He can talk more of the eye discipline. I know what to teach, but I’ve never done it, and it’s a little bit different when you’ve actually done some of those things. You just have a different perspective.

“He’s a guy that he’s done everything right. He’s sacrificed. He came back to school and then he was rewarded. So, he understands the importance of being prepared for the next level. He can have those conversations with those guys, which is awesome. Then he has the experience of being on the IPTAY Board. So, he’s experienced life after football, specifically from that position.”

As for the tight ends, Elliott is having the time of his life.

“I feel like the guys are responding well,” Elliott said. “They’re definitely gravitating toward the receiver aspect of the position, which is more my expertise than the run blocking, but I’m having fun getting in there with (offensive line coach) Robbie (Caldwell) and learning all the intricate calls and hand placement and angles of your steps. It has been a lot of fun.”