Blue White Illustrated

Scott brings new ideas to Lions' defensive line O F F - S E A S O N R E P O R T "Being a starter is a dream of mine. I think everybody wants to be a starter, and for me to be a starter, for myself and everybody else in the room, you have to beat out everybody," he said. "There isn't just one guy who you have to beat out. You have to compete every day. There's phenomenal talent in that room, and a lot of guys can go on that field and be a starter." It's Mustipher, though, who Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry has tabbed for the position and, maybe more important, the leadership responsibilities that come with it. Having already exhibited those qualities in his two seasons with the program, proving himself a rarity at defensive tackle by forgoing a typical redshirt year, Mustipher has displayed an unwavering commitment to the role. "To be recognized by your coaches as a guy who is a leader, who does the right thing on and off the field, that means a lot to me personally," he said. "When you're a leader of 100 men, that means some- thing. You have to honor that by conduct- ing yourself in a manner that not too many do. You have to make sacrifices as a leader as well. "I think the biggest thing with being a leader is, you can learn continuously how to be a leader through life, and through experiences and situations. So I'm con- tinuing to learn. I'm continuing to grow. I do want to be a leader for this Penn State football team. And for Coach to say that means the world, that I continue to con- duct myself in a way that shows to the team and my coaches that I'm a leader." Scott wasn't able to watch Mustipher in practice this spring, so the first-year Penn State assistant had to take a differ- ent approach to gauging his on-field abil- ities. A close study of the film allowed Scott to see just how hard Mustipher plays and, with an eye toward future pos- sibilities, the untapped potential that re- mains. "He's a physical player, he's a smart guy, he gets things. I think he has really good quickness," Scott said. "I think we can take the next step with P.J. as we continue to hone in on some of his techniques on some things. "I think we can hone in on the next level of him taking advantage of his opportu- nities and just continuing to be more dis- ruptive. I think he can continue to grow and get better in that category. But he has all the tools. He's got the work ethic. He's got the motor. I'm looking forward to see- ing him blossom." ■ J ohn Scott Jr. was a senior defensive end at Western Carolina in the late 1990s when the team hired a young coach named Brent Pry. It proved to be a fortu- itous meeting. Fresh o: a graduate assistantship at Virginia Tech, Pry was put in charge of the Catamounts' defensive line. Scott was one of his top players, an All-Southern Conference defensive end and one of the school's career leaders in tackles for loss. They only spent one year together at Western Carolina, but Pry made a strong impression on Scott, and vice versa. "Coach Pry and I are like family. I've known him for 21 years of my life," Scott recalled re- cently. "He's a big reason why I de- cided to get into coaching. I enjoyed the way he coached me, with his energy and passion and his knowledge of the game. I said, man, if he can impact me in one year, that's what I want to do – im- pact young men." Scott and Pry would go on to serve to- gether on the coaching sta:s at two schools, and when college football re- sumes a;er the coronavirus shutdown is li;ed, they will once again share a sideline – Penn State's. The Nittany Lions hired Scott away from South Carolina in Feb- ruary to become their new defensive line coach following Sean Spencer's decision to join the New York Giants' sta:. It was an opportunity that the Greer, S.C., na- tive couldn't turn down. "There were a couple of reasons why I came to Penn State," Scott said. "Number one, I think Penn State is one of those truly special programs. It's a true blue blood of college football. When you talk about the big college programs, it's Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, Al- abama. Those are the big places. It's one of those jobs. It's an unbelievable place. You can win a national championship. It's not one of those places that talk about it. They've done it. They've won Big Ten championships. So that was a big piece. "Then, you get an opportunity to meet | ALL ON THE LINE Scott has been coaching in the SEC for the past three seasons. Photo cour- tesy of South Car- olina Athletics

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