Settling in on defense, Nick Scott prepares himself for larger role

In high school, Nick Scott was a do-it-all type of football player. He played both linebacker and free safety for Fairfax (Va.) High on defense, and on offense he also starred at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. As a senior he surpassed 1,500 rushing yards, caught 11 passes and threw for more than 500 yards and three touchdowns.

Although he was a critical component to his team’s defense, he identified himself more as an offensive athlete.

Now that’s changing.

Entering his redshirt junior season at Penn State, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Scott is now finding his place on the defensive side of the ball. After beginning his career at running back, last spring he made the switch to safety. He played mostly special teams as a sophomore as he adjusted to the new position. One year later, he’s readying himself for a larger role.

“I actually joke around with a lot of people (about) when I moved to defense, it didn’t take too long to realize that, hey, maybe I’ve been a defensive guy my whole tenure as a football player,” Scott said. “I just didn’t know because I was athletic. You get away with athleticism in high school. … Once I moved to defense I felt, hey, this is probably actually where my home is, especially considering how reckless I like to play and how aggressive I am and my balls skills.”

The athletic prerequisites needed to play the safety position were never in question for Scott. Rather, as he found, his first season was more about delving into coordinator Brent Pry's playbook and picking the technique and intricacies that go along with playing defensive back, compared to when he was on offense.

Asked about a major improvement that he’s made in his game since last season, Scott replied, “My defensive IQ as a whole."

“I’m more comfortable as a defensive player," he added. "I identify myself as a defensive player and not someone who is trying to become that, so, yeah, I think I’ve seen the biggest growth in just my understanding of the game and knowing what to do in terms of checks and everything like that based on what the offense gives us. I’m just a lot more comfortable. The physical part of it, that’s something that I’ve always felt that I have an advantage with because of my athleticism. So I was never really worried about transitioning my body into a DB’s body. The intellect of the game is something that I’m really proud of in my growth. I’m looking to keep growing from this point.”

It’s something that he began in earnest once Penn State arrived home from the Rose Bowl in January. He had finished the season with just eight tackles, all of which came on special teams, and for his junior season he was eager to make a greater impact.

With strong safety starter and one of Scott’s mentors, Malik Golden, moving on to graduation, Scott recognized that opportunity for additional playing time awaited him in the 2017 season. So he got to work.

He joined up with returning free safety starter Marcus Allen and before long they were in the film room as often as time allowed. They also spent extra time drilling ball skills, footwork and technique – all with the hopes that it pays off on the field.

“The film hours really started for me right after the end of the season,” Scott said. “I felt like in order for me to grow as a player I needed to go do a lot of film work just to get my defensive IQ up. So usually I would go to class for a little bit, watch film with Marcus or one of the older guys who is a veteran in the defensive unit and either right after that or maybe an hour before practice, Marcus and I would hit the JUGS machine and shoot the balls at each other because we are really trying to bring an emphasis on turnovers this year, so that’s kind of our little routine that we do everyday before practice.”

Head coach James Franklin has stressed to Penn State’s defensive unit – coaches and players, alike – that the premium on interceptions has been turned up a notch. And in order to refine their ball-catching ability, he wants them to hit the JUGS machine like a receiver would.

“If we want to really improve in turnovers, which I think is an area we can really improve in, we have to invest in it,” Franklin said. “The more confident our defensive players are in catching the ball, the more willing they're going to go for the pick rather than the PBU.”

Scott already has some ball skills that have carried over from his days an offensive playmaker. But now as one of three team captains and vying for a spot on the defense, he is heeding his coach’s advice.

In fact, he has already seen the benefits of his work. He caught his first interception of the spring earlier in practice.

Being elected captain ranks as the No. 1 highlight of his 2017 thus far, but his interception and long return that ensued is a close second.

“If I had a tie for No. 1, I guess I’d say (it was) my first pick of spring,” Scott said. “I was just playing Zorro coverage and just picked the ball off, a deep ball, and took it back pretty far. That’s probably my proudest play. After that I’ve had some pretty good snaps of some man coverage, which I’m proud of and (aim) to continue to grow on and look forward to. I look forward to competing in one-on-ones every day to just get a measure of where I’m at with guys like DaeSean (Hamilton) and Deandre Tompkins, which are great looks for guys who want to get better in man coverage, so I’m having a lot of fun of growing and improving my game.”