Former South Carolina assistant John Scott Jr. named Penn State football’s newest DL coach
Penn State has filled its final opening on the football staff by turning to the SEC.
Former South Carolina assistant John Scott Jr. was named the Nittany Lions’ defensive line coach Saturday, replacing longtime assistant Sean Spencer, who left to become the New York Giants’ defensive line coach in the NFL.
“I am very thankful for the opportunity Coach (James) Franklin has given me,” Scott Jr. said in a written statement. “Coach Franklin is a tremendous leader who has the program on the rise and I’m excited be a part of it. I can’t wait to work with Coach (Brent) Pry and the defensive staff.”
Scott Jr. spent the 2019 season with the Gamecocks, where he guided senior Javon Kinlaw to first-team All-SEC honors after a six-sack campaign. As a team, however, South Carolina’s defense experienced limited success by finishing No. 72 in sacks (24) and No. 61 in tackles for loss (72).
Before Scott Jr.’s single season with the Gamecocks, he spent two years with Arkansas — as the DL coach in 2017 and the defensive tackles coach in 2018 — and two seasons with the New York Jets, as the defensive quality control coach in 2015 and the assistant DL coach in 2016. From 2013-2014, he was Texas Tech’s defensive line coach.
Scott Jr. and Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry crossed paths three times during their careers, at two coaching stops and when Scott Jr. was a player. The pair worked together from from 2002-2004 at Louisiana-Lafayette, when Scott Jr. was the up-and-coming graduate assistant and Pry was the defensive coordinator. And they met again in 2010 at Georgia Southern, when Pry was the DC and Scott Jr. was the DL coach. They first met in 1998, when Scott Jr. was a defensive end at Western Carolina and Pry was the defensive line coach.
“I have known Coach Pry for more than 20 years as a player, graduate assistant and position coach, and he has definitely had an impact on my career,” Scott Jr. said. “I can’t wait to get rolling with the defensive line and continue to build on the tradition they have established.”
He’ll have big shoes to fill. He replaces Spencer, one of the Nittany Lions’ most-beloved assistants and one of Franklin’s longest-tenured coaches. Franklin and Spencer had spent the past nine seasons together, from Vanderbilt to Penn State, and Spencer had annually produced all-conference talent and future NFL draft picks.
Spencer announced Jan. 31 he was bolting for the NFL, and Penn State filled his opening a little more than a week later.
“We believe John will continue to build on the defensive line success we’ve fostered since our arrival at Penn State,” Franklin said in a news release. “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.”
Scott Jr. played defensive end for Western Carolina before starting his coaching career in 2001. He played in the CFL for one season in 2003 before returning to Louisiana-Lafayette as a graduate assistant. He bounced around at several stops in the FCS — Norfolk State, Western Carolina, Missouri State, Georgia Southern — before breaking into the Power Five in 2013 with Texas Tech.
This story was originally published February 8, 2020 at 7:04 PM.
