Danny White disputes claim Tony Elliott turned down Tennessee football job

Tennessee opens the 2023 season with Virginia, a program heading into Year Two of Tony Elliott. As the former offensive coordinator at Clemson, Elliott’s name was linked to head coaching jobs throughout the years. The Vols were one of those, even claiming to have been offered the job by athletic director Danny White.

Well, on Monday night, White disputed the idea that Elliott was offered the job. White said Elliott was one of the candidates, receiving an interview for the Vols. But Josh Heupel was the only person offered the job — who accepted it.

“Interesting… don’t remember offering,” White said via Twitter. “Ignored this the first time, can’t do it again. An interview doesn’t constitute an offer. Interviewed several candidates, offered 1.”

As we know, Elliott is not in Knoxville. However, he originally said the choice was his, claiming the timing was just not right to move on from Clemson. Tennessee was looking to replace Jeremy Pruitt following the 2020 season and hoping to get the program moving in a new direction.

“When I evaluated it, there were a lot of positive things about it,” Elliott said. “It just wasn’t the right time for me. So when it came down to it, I prayed about it and said I want the Lord to lead me in the direction that He’d have me to go.

“So, it was close. But at the end of the day, when I looked at the totality of everything, it just wasn’t the right time and the right fit for me.”

Via https://t.co/2fHmS8LYBL pic.twitter.com/pG2HYhs9YQ

— zach ragan (@zachTNT) August 22, 2023

Elliott wound up not accepting any head coaching job in the 2021 offseason, offered or not. He spent one more season at Clemson under Dabo Swinney before taking a job within the ACC. Some tragedy surrounded the Virginia program last year but on the field, the Cavaliers won just three games.

Huepel has gone in the opposite direction, having a great 2022 season in Knoxville. Huge wins have brought life back to Tennessee and expectations are once again going to be sky high.

Even in a world where Elliott was offered the Tennessee job and wound up accepting it, he would be on the sideline on Sept. 2 at Nissan Stadium. He will be wearing Virginia colors though, hoping to pull off an upset in Week 1 of the college football season.

Maybe Elliott and White’s comments will add a little fuel to the fire.