When he was a freshman in 2014, people used to joke, “JK Scott for Heisman.” Scott totaled 55 punts for 2,640 yards, and he averaged 48 yards per punt, featuring a season-high 73-yard punt.
Scott never had a punt blocked, and he pinned 31 punts within the opponent’s 20-yard line. He was the No. 1 punter in the NCAA.
The following season, he dropped to No. 24.
“I don’t know,” Scott said. “I’m always trying to improve and just didn’t do as well as my freshman year in the first part.”
With 70 total punts in 2015, Scott averaged 44.2 yards with a long of 59 yards and one blocked punt. He pinned 25 within the opponent’s 20-yard line.
As the season progressed, glimpses of freshman Scott were seen. He said he just got off to a slow start and eventually found his rhythm, believing he did OK from the middle of the season on.
Now Scott is back at it again for the spring season.
“For me, I’m always trying to get stronger, more consistent – always,” he said. “Coach [Nick] Saban, he’s really telling me to keep doing what I’m doing. Don’t change a lot of things, don’t like doing anything drastic but just kind of keep going what I’m doing. Little tweaks here and there.”
Throughout his punting career, Scott has recognized when those little tweaks are necessary, especially when he started growing.
Scott is 6-foot-6 now, and still isn’t sure if he’s done growing just yet, but he believes he’s getting there. He said he grew over an inch since coming to Alabama, but he is not growing nearly as much – or as fast – as he did through high school, which required more punting adjustments.
“A lot of times, things change,” Scott said. “You get a little uncoordinated just with growing, but really like growing just adds more leverage to it so I would say it’s a blessing rather than a curse.”
By the time A-Day rolls around, the Crimson Tide will have notched 14 practices, including two scrimmages. Scott has been focusing on personal improvement through performance training, but he’s careful not to overdo it.
Scott spends only three days a week practicing his punts. The other days, he said, are spent doing a little pool work, Pilates, different running and stuff in the weight room. It’s a balance.
“You can’t overdo it because it’s always just a one-way motion and it’s so explosive that it’ll put some strain on your body,” he said. “You’ve got to do some things to balance out outside of punting, like cross-training, different things.”
Regardless if it’s the spring season, for players, nothing is worth risking their health, not with the A-Day game on Saturday and the fall season within sight.
As a recruit, A-Day was the first game in Bryant-Denny Stadium Scott ever attended. He was amazed by the atmosphere and at the time, couldn’t even begin to image what a real game would be like.
With two seasons under his belt, Scott’s journey has come full circle, again, repeating each year with A-Day. He has participated in a number of home games and will punt for both the white and the red team during the A-Day game on Saturday, but regardless of how many times he has been on the field, Scott still early awaits the opportunity to get back out there. He embraces every opportunity that allows him to suit up and be inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“I love playing in that stadium,” Scott said. “It’s always a great feeling. So it’s just another opportunity to do that and play the sport that I love to play.”
