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Career Path: Larry Scott has climbed his way up the coaching ladder. From 2001-2004 Larry Scott held various positions from run-game coordinator to offensive coordinator as a high school coach (Wharton HS, Freedom HS and Sebring HS). Scott made the leap to the college game in 2006 at his alma mater USF where he was the jack-of-all-trades yet again. From 2006-2012 he was coached tight ends, the offensive line, and running backs while building a reputation as a great recruiter. From 2013-2015 Scott was on Al Golden’s staff as a tight ends coach. When Golden was fired Miami tabbed Scott as the interim head coach and Miami went 4-2 under his direction. When Golden left, many ‘Canes fans wanted Scott to remain on the staff but rather than stay, Scott took a position with Tennessee as a tight ends coach.
Buzz Surrounding The Hire: For hardcore college football fans Scott is a familiar name. Miami fans know what he brings to the table as a recruiter and South Florida high school coaches will definitely know of him but other than that the buzz will be virtually nil in media circles.
What’s There To Like: Whoever takes the FIU job must be familiar with the state and be a good recruiter, and Scott is an ace recruiter who knows the state of Florida really well. Scott has paid his dues as a positions coach and during a short stint as an head coach he wasn’t bad as he galvanized a broken Miami team and made them respectable.
Why They Should Proceed With Caution: Scott doesn’t have too much of a sample size as a head coach but what would make me nervous is that he’s never served as an offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator at the collegiate level. Serving as a position coach under Jim Leavitt, Skip Holtz, Al Golden and Butch Jones doesn’t give me much confidence that he’s picked up some great traits either. We know Scott is a great recruiter but after that he’s an unknown.
Why He Would Take The Job: Scott has never been a full-time head coach at any level. After spending years as a high school coach and college coach in the Sunshine State he will undoubtedly take this job if offered to him. He has a chance to make a name for himself in a state he grew up in and live in one of the best cities in the world as he would be the head coach of a program that has a ton of potential.
Analysis: Larry Scott has made a name for himself as a great recruiter and after going left field with Ron Turner, I don’t see FIU bringing in a guy who doesn’t know Florida. Scott knows Florida and will get kids to come play in Miami. Whether he can coach them up or not depends on the staff he would potentially bring with him.
FIU would love a big name (Butch Davis or Les Miles) but Scott is a more realistic hire given their budget and he wouldn’t be a bad selection. FIU could go the cheap route while still aiming to maximize their potential as a C-USA power and hiring Scott would achieve that. He knows Florida, he has a reputation as a great recruiter, and during his time as an interim head coach he fared pretty well. No coordinator experience scares me a little, but if I were an FIU fan I would be on board. On a scale of 1-10 this hire would be a 7.