The punter glued his eyes to the pass.
J.K. Scott, Alabama’s big-leg boomer by way of Denver’s Mullen High School, erupted with his teammates on the sideline at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 8, when Crimson Tide backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa unfurled a game-winning touchdown pass in overtime of the title game against Georgia. Alabama had trailed 13-0 at halftime, only to storm back behind their unlikely freshman hero in the second half.
“The national championship game was the most fun game I’ve ever played, hands down,” said Scott, who helped Alabama win the field-position battle by averaging 47.5 yards on six punts. “I can’t even explain it. It was just awesome.”
That title was the second for Scott in his four seasons at the college football powerhouse, three of which ended with him playing in the national championship game. But it wasn’t even Scott’s biggest moment that week. Five days after the victory over Georgia, Scott married his girlfriend, Sidney, in a small ceremony in Colorado.
So, yes, the real pressure was off by the time Scott arrived at the NFL scouting combine last week, trying to become the rare punter who is selected in the draft. None were picked in the 2017 draft, the first time that had happened since 1963. But only once since 2010 have more than two punters been selected in the same draft.
Scott, a high-IQ athlete who can solve a Rubik’s Cube in about the time it takes for one of his punts to soar down the field, understands the odds he’s facing.
“Being a punter, there are certain games where you may not have an influence at all,” he said. “You might not punt very much. But there are certain games where it’s closer and field position plays a bigger role. It really just depends on the game, but there are games where punting can make the difference, and having a good punter is important.”
Scott used to train with Christian McCaffrey, booming punts as deep as he could to the former Valor Christian and current Carolina Panthers star, who would work on his footwork as he camped under the kicks. But Scott improved his standing as a professional punting prospect by dialing his leg back.
Scott stormed onto the scene as a freshman at Alabama in 2014, becoming a Ray Guy finalist — and a unanimous freshman All-American — by averaging 48 yards per punt. As a junior in 2016, he again had one of the country’s highest averages at 47.2 yards. But heading into his senior season, Scott was determined to add more hang time to his offerings and give the four- and five-star prospects who riddle Alabama’s roster more time to get down the field.
Change brought frustration at times last summer. Like a golfer fixing his swing, every minor adjustment a punter makes can have widespread impact on the rest of his process. It was a whirlwind of trial and error as Scott adjusted his release point and approach angles.
Scott saw his average as a senior drop to 43 yards per punt, but his boots became far more effective. With a greatly improved hang time that averaged in the 5.4-second range, opponents were able to return only three of Scott’s punts all season. More than half ended in fair catches, double the amount from his junior year, and a mere seven percent of his 54 punts landed in the end zone for touchbacks.
As a result, Scott became a finalist for the Ray Guy Award once again. Though he didn’t win the trophy, he found a formula he believes will give him a chance in the NFL, whether he becomes the rare punter drafted or makes his way into training camp as an undrafted player.
“It’s definitely more productive in terms of helping my team out,” Scott said of improving his hang time. “It’s focused on limiting returns, which will give you a better net, so definitely that can help.”
