Ken Ruinard
Tony Elliott Not Interviewing with Auburn
A report surfaced Friday that Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott was interviewing for the head coaching position at Auburn, but Elliott himself halted rumors Saturday in a response to ESPN's Marty Smith.
According to Smith, Elliott sent him a message that the assistant coach saw the report but isn't interested in Auburn at this time.
"Contrary to reports I saw (Friday), I have not been contacted about the head coaching job at Auburn and am not scheduled to interview for that position,” Elliott sent to Smith. "While I typically wouldn’t address this in this manner, I felt it was important to set the record straight for the young men in our program. My focus currently remains 100% on our team & the opportunity we have to face a great Notre Dame team for the ACC Championship Saturday.”
Footballscoop.com named Elliott in a list of several candidates who were slated to interview with Auburn this weekend. That group included Alabama OC Steve Sarkisian and Louisana head coach Billy Napier. Current Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele is also reportedly in the mix. Both Steele and Napier are former Clemson assistants.
The ACC Tigers are set to take on the Irish at 4 p.m. today, while the SEC Tigers continue their search to replace Gus Malzahn.
FOX Sports and The Athletic reporter Bruce Feldman said Saturday morning that he's hearing Auburn wants to talk to both Elliott and defensive coordinator Brent Venables.
Elliott, who won the Broyles Award in 2017 as the nation's top assistant coach, has long been connected with openings at several schools in recent years as Clemson has continued setting offensive records in the program and racking up ACC titles and College Football Playoff appearances.
