Nick Scott has been around for a while. At 23 years old, he’s at least a few years older than most of his teammates. With 50 career games under his belt, he’s also one of the most experienced guys in the locker room. Verbally committing to Penn State in February 2013, the Fairfax, Va., native’s allegiance to the Nittany Lions even predates James Franklin’s arrival by nearly a year.
He’s been around for a while, and on Saturday against Maryland, he’ll take the field in Beaver Stadium one more time. Even though he’ll no longer be with the team past this season – he has a degree in psychology and is working toward a second in labor and employment relations – Scott’s legacy will be one that lives on.
“I definitely feel like a grandfather in the locker room,” Scott said this week. “I'm an old head. I'm even a little old for my grade so it adds on to the fact [but] I look at that as kind of like a blessing because I'm able to pass on the knowledge that I have of this game and just my experience of being a college athlete.”
For Scott, the experiences have been aplenty and they began in earnest right from the start. He committed to former coach Bill O’Brien when he was a junior in high school and held firm through the transition and hire of Franklin.
Following a redshirt season in 2014, Scott made an immediate impact during his freshman season of eligibility. On the very first kickoff against Temple, in fact, it was Scott who helped make the opening stop. He later made another tackle on a first-quarter punt return and then the following week at home against Buffalo, Scott returned the initial kickoff 58 yards. It was just the start of a long illustrious, intertwining career.
It was on special teams where Scott made his mark. By his junior season, he was selected team captain and he holds that title again this year as a senior. All the while, he’s gradually become a fixture on the Nittany Lion defense.
When Scott signed on to the Class of 2014, it was as a three-star all-purpose back. He practiced as a running back as a redshirt and then carried the ball 30 times for 133 yards and one touchdown during that first season on the field. His one carry for 4 yards in the bowl game against Georgia that season proved to be his last as a RB, but he knew months before that his time on offense was drying up.
"I tell people all the time, there are 26 reasons why I moved to safety," Scott said this preseason. “When he [Saquon Barkley as a true freshman] jumped over that safety at Buffalo, I had already been hearing murmurs of me possibly playing safety. I literally turned to Coach Smith, who was next to me, and I was like, Do you guys still have room in the safety room? I was half joking but at the same time, I was like I might need to have to come back and have that conversation."
That off-season he brought it up again. As the consummate teammate, Scott volunteered to move to defense. His largest splashes had come on special teams, after all, based off pure hustle and determination. He had also played almost every position in high school, including defensive back, so Scott wanted to use his versatility to his advantage. The following spring he was practicing at cornerback before settling in at safety. He hasn’t looked back since.
The next two years, he served as a backup while continuing to hold up full-time responsibilities on special teams. In 2018, at last, he stepped into the first-team free safety role and has started every game since. He hasn’t just been a one-year stopgap, either; he’s been a playmaker.
He leads all PSU defensive backs with an average 5.27 tackles per game and he’s tied with Amani Orurwariye and Garrett Taylor with a team-high three interceptions.
It’s been the timing of Scott’s interceptions, however, that has been especially noteworthy. All three have come in in the fourth quarter and the most recent two came in the red zone. Scott’s pick against Iowa occurred at the goal line and helped seal the deal on a one-possession victory and then a couple weeks ago vs. Wisconsin, his interception put the Badgers away for a 22-10 win.
With one last contest awaiting him Saturday, against a dangerous Maryland team that is looking to claim bowl eligibility after pushing top-10 Ohio State into overtime last week, Scott is aiming to be a difference-maker once again.
Big picture, though, he’s been just that for a while now at Penn State. As that comes to a close this weekend, Scott predicts he’ll be one of the more tearful seniors to come out of the tunnel before the game.
“I think I might be up there to be honest,” he said. “I’m a pretty emotional guy. I ride off of my emotions and things like that, especially [during] times like these, when something is coming to the end for me.”
His playing days at PSU are coming to a close, but Scott's impact on the university and its football program won't be forgotten anytime soon.
