Detroit Lions reportedly hiring Penn State DL coach John Scott Jr.

The Detroit Lions have a new coach. According to several different sources—the Centre Daily Times was first on it—the Lions are hiring Penn State defensive line coach John Scott Jr.

At this point, the exact role of Scott on the Lions coaching staff has not been explicitly reported. That said, the Lions lost their own defensive line coach in Todd Wash, who took the defensive line coach job with the Carolina Panthers earlier this month. Scott seems like the obvious replacement for Wash, considering his entire coaching career has been with the defensive line, but it’s also possible he’ll be the assistant for that position in Detroit.

Scott has been coaching football since 2001 when he was a high school defensive line coach. He has since worked his way up with stops in Louisiana-Lafayette, Norfolk State, Georgia Southern, Arkansas, South Carolina, and more. He most notably had a two-year stint with the New York Jets under Todd Bowles from 2015-16, first as the defensive quality control coach before getting promoted to assistant defensive line coach. For the past three years, Scott has been the defensive line coach for Penn State, while also earning the run game coordinator label for the 2022 season.

Penn State head coach James Franklin confirmed that Scott was leaving and left the following statement via his Twitter account:

“I would like to thank John for everything he has contributed to our program over the past three years. John is a great coach and also a great man. I am grateful for his friendship and the impact he has had on our student-athletes. This was a great opportunity for him in the NFL and I wish him and his family nothing but the best.”

NOTE: A previous version of this article featured a picture of a coach who was not John Scott Jr. Pride of Detroit regrets the error.