Penn State Football

Key Penn State Football Coach Takes NFL Job

Penn State Football and head coach James Franklin have a vacancy to fill.

As first reported by Jon Sauber of the Centre Daily Times, Nittany Lions defensive line coach John Scott Jr. will leave Penn State for a job with the Detroit Lions in the NFL.

Scott Jr. held the defensive line coach position at Penn State Football since 2020 when he was hired from South Carolina. In addition to serving as Penn State’s defensive line coach, Scott Jr. held the title of run game coordinator for the defense.

Sources: Penn State DL coach John Scott Jr. is leaving for a job in the NFL.

More here:https://t.co/L7oKHvzfEt

— Jon Sauber (@JonSauber) February 27, 2023

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Scott Jr. was among the coaches responsible for bringing Dani Dennis Sutton, Chop Robinson, and Zane Durant, among others to Happy Valley.

Franklin will now have a huge hole to fill at an important defensive position going into a pivotal season in 2023 for Penn State. Franklin will have no shortage of options on the table, as Penn State’s defensive line room will be intriguing for many coaches across the country. Penn State’s defensive line room contains a former 5-star defensive end Dani Dennis Sutton and the number five returning edge defenders according to On3 Sports in Chop Robinson. One name to watch is Deion Barnes, a former Penn State defensive end and graduate assistant turned analyst.

Whoever ends up taking the place of John Scott Jr. will have large shoes to fill and will have to produce immediate results for Penn State to have a chance to live up to the high expectations on the program in 2023 and 2024.

The Top 10 College Football EDGEs heading into the 2023 season👀https://t.co/qdo0LObMQs pic.twitter.com/VWuh5aBgQh

— On3 (@On3sports) February 27, 2023

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Robert Casturo

Robert Casturo

Expertise: College Football, Penn State Football Education: Saint Vincent College, Penn State Law School Location: Washington, DC Experience: Robert Casturo has covered Penn State football for NittanyCentral since 2022. Casturo previously covered Penn State football through a social media presence (@PSU_FB_Thoughts on X) since 2019. Casturo earned his bachelor's degree from Saint Vincent College in 2015, where he was a punter for 1 season on the Saint Vincent College football team and worked in the athletic department for 2 years as a student manager. Casturo earned his JD from Penn State Law in 2018 where he was a senior editor of the Penn State Law Review.