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Penn State loses John Scott Jr. to NFL: Video Recap

Headshot 5x7 reduced qualityby:Thomas Frank Carr•02/27/23•

ThomasFrankCarr

John Scott Jr. Penn State Football On3
Penn State's defensive line coach John Scott Jr. may not have landed the impact defensive tackles that fans may have hoped, but he did recruit well. He was responsible for landing five-star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton in the Class of 2022 as a part of his main efforts at Penn State. His best work, however may have been through the portal where he acquired defensive ends Arnold Ebiketie and Chop Robinson.

Penn State football announced Monday evening that defensive line coach John Scott Jr. was leaving the program for a job with the Detroit Lions. Scott joined the Nittany Lions in 2020 as a part of former defensive coordinator Brent Pry’s staff and spent three years coaching the defensive line. Host Thomas Frank Carr and reporter Greg Pickel give you the latest news on the situation and discuss various impacts of this decision.

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On of the latest changes for Penn State under James Franklin

The timing is one of the first things that stands out in this situation for T-Frank and Pickel. They discuss the latest coaching move that Penn State has been forced to make under James Franklin and how much later this situation is for the program. Pickel also points out how quickly Franklin usually moves in these situations. Still, with recruiting opening soon and spring ball on the way, will they have time to find a quality candidate?

Is Deion Barnes ready to take over?

More importantly, do they need to? Star graduate assistant turned analyst Deion Barnes seems like the logical choice to take over for Scott Jr. Will Franklin pull the trigger and elevate Barnes to the role? T-Frank wants to know the potential pitfalls of moving Barnes into that role, given he has yet to gain an official onfield coaching experience as a full-time position coach.

They also discuss the increasing normality of coaches leaving after less than one full class cycle and how NIL might accelerate that timeline for more coaches. Is the new college football landscape making the NFL a more attractive alternative for some? T-Frank and Pickel discuss.

Scott’s impact at Penn State

Finally, they review Soctt Jr’s impact at Penn State. T-Frank thinks that Scott Jr. was a successful hire despite some of the holes in his recruiting resume and states his case. Lastly, they preview the effect it may have on the recruiting efforts in 2024. Pickel thinks this is an important year for the defensive line and explains why.

As previously reported by Blue White Illustrated’s Ryan Snyder:

Penn State will begin spring practice in two weeks, and they’ll do so with a new defensive line coach, as John Scott Jr. will be moving to the pro level and joining the Detroit Lions staff, sources confirmed to Blue White Illustrated on Monday.

Scott just completed his third season with the Nittany Lions, joining Penn State’s coaching staff in 2020. During his first season on the staff, he helped turn Odafe Oweh into a first-round draft pick with Baltimore Ravens. He’s the only Penn State defensive lineman to be selected that high since Aaron Maybin in 2009. Shaka Toney was also drafted that season, going in the seventh round to the Washington Commanders. He and Oweh were the first Penn State defensive end duo to earn All-Big Ten first-team honors since 1998.

Read the rest of Snyder’s recap here.

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