Blue White Illustrated

L ike many of the verbally committed members of Penn State's Class of 2014, running back Nick Scott was disap- pointed when he learned that Bill O'Brien would be leaving University Park for a job with the Houston Texans. Scott was one of the first prospects to commit to O'Brien and his staff, announc- ing on Feb. 23, 2013, that he planned to attend Penn State. At the time, the Fairfax, Va., native was receiving interest from the likes of Alabama, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Boston College, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia. He even took an unof- ficial visit to Tuscaloosa and felt good about his chances of picking up an offer from the Crimson Tide. But after visiting Penn State for a junior day last winter, he decided there was no reason to prolong the process. He made his commitment, and with that, his recruitment was over. Or so he thought. But when O'Brien left, Scott was suddenly forced to recon- sider his options. "My heart was always with Penn State, but it was kind of tough when I heard the news," Scott said. "I basically shut down my entire recruitment for Coach O'Brien and his staff. I only visited a couple other schools, and when Coach left, I think there were only a couple weekends left to look around at other schools. "So, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about maybe looking around. That's one of the first things that came to my mind in all honestly." Within a few hours of the announcement that O'Brien was leaving, Fairfax High head coach Kevin Simonds began receiving phone calls from college coaches inquiring about Scott's availability. Nearly every school that had showed interest in the 6- foot-0, 190-pound prospect prior to his commitment to Penn State got back in touch in hope of setting up a campus visit. But while Scott was wavering, he didn't want to switch his commitment without meeting Penn State's new head coach. As the days went on and more and more schools began extending invitations, Scott's patience began to wear thin. Penn State's decision to hire James Franklin came just in time. "When they hired Coach Franklin, it was definitely a sigh of relief, but I still wasn't 100 percent set on what I was going to do," Scott said. "I knew he was a young coach, and his hiring made a lot of Penn State fans really excited, so that was important to me. If Penn State fans like him, he must be an amazing coach, but still, I wasn't set on anything." The following week, Scott and his family made the trip to State College to meet Franklin and the staff. Although he was leaning toward maintaining his commit- ment, he wanted to know more about how he figured into Franklin's plans for the offense. The meeting went well. Scott came away from it feeling "extremely excited about his future under Coach Franklin," Simonds said. "They talked about everything – the expectations on the field and off the field – and it was exactly what Nick wanted to hear. I think he was always excited to play for Penn State, no matter who the coach was, but I think he left that meeting with an even better feeling for where he'll fit in at Penn State. The coaches made it clear that he's a priority for them." Scott's signing was such a high priority that Franklin and running backs coach Charles Huff made one final visit with him, his coach and family just a few days before signing day, even after he made it clear that he wasn't planning to go anywhere else. The consistent contact he received from the staff made him even more excited to get started with the Nittany Lions. "Everything I heard about Coach Franklin's energy and his ability to really relate to his players, it was all true," Scott said. "I think when we all look back on this, Penn State fans are going to be ex- tremely happy with Coach Franklin. His assistants are great people, too. This is going to be a staff that really takes Penn State back to the top, and I'm just ex- tremely honored to be part of it. "Penn State fans have my word that I'm going to work as hard as anyone in the weight room, in the film room, during practice," Scott added. "These coaches will put us in the position to succeed, so now it's on us to fulfill those expecta- tions." ■ HIGH PRIORITY Whether O'Brien or Franklin is in charge, running back Nick Scott sits atop PSU's board THE SCOTT FILE S T A T I S T I C S Rushed for 1,582 yards on 182 carries and completed 31 of 72 passes for 511 yards with three touchdowns. He also had 11 catches for 129 yards and complied 25 touchdowns as a senior H O N O R S An All-State selection as a senior... Also earned first-team honors on the All-Metro, All-Region and All-Conference teams... Named the Liberty District Outstanding Ath- lete of the Year... Rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com |

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