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Penn State hires new defensive line coach
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It didn’t take long for Penn State to find its next defensive line coach.
On Saturday, the program announced that it has hired John Scott Jr. to be the next defensive line coach in State College. He comes to Penn State after spending the 2019 season in the same role at South Carolina. He was at Arkansas in 2017 and 2018.
“We are thrilled to welcome John, Blakely, John III and Juliette to our Penn State family,” James Franklin said in a statement. “We believe John will continue to build on the defensive line success we’ve fostered since our arrival at Penn State. He has an impressive coaching resume with experience in the NFL, Big 12 and SEC. John’s diverse accomplishments separated him from the rest of the candidates throughout the hiring process. In addition, his long-standing relationship with Brent Pry at Georgia Southern, Louisiana-Lafayette and Western Carolina ensures he’ll hit the ground running as we enter spring ball. His attention to techniques, fundamentals and the appropriate mentality needed to guarantee we continue to compete at the highest levels of college football. We’re also excited to welcome his wife, Blakely, back to Penn State where she served on the ICA Mental Task Force in 2012.”
Scott brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience to Happy Valley. He started at Louisiana-Lafayette in 2002 as a graduate assistant before moving on to become the defensive line coach at Norfolk State at 2005. He’s also had stops at Western Carolina, Missouri State, Georgia Southern and Texas Tech.
Scott also had a two-year run in the NFL with the New York Jets.
Penn State was in need of a defensive line coach after Sean Spencer took a position in the NFL with the New York Giants. He was with the Nittany Lions for six years and served on Franklin’s staff for nine years.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB