Arkansas DL Coach John Scott Jr. to Accept Position at South Carolina

Arkansas defensive line coach John Scott Jr. has accepted a position at South Carolina, sources told Rivals on Monday.

GamecockCentral.com, the South Carolina Rivals site, first reported the move Friday and is now reporting his hire will be approved by the Board of Trustees on a teleconference Tuesday morning.

Scott was with the Razorbacks for two years and, along with tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr., was one of only two coaches Chad Morris kept from the previous coaching staff last offseason.

He was the lone defensive line coach in 2017, but shared the position with Steve Caldwell last season, focusing primarily on defensive tackles.

Prior to being hired at Arkansas, Scott was a quality control and assistant defensive line coach for the New York Jets for two years. His only other job at the FBS level was a two-year stint as Texas Tech’s defensive line coach from 2013-14, but he also previously had full-time gigs at Georgia Southern, Missouri State, Norfolk State and Western Carolina.

The move out east gets Scott closer to where he grew up and where he has extensive recruiting ties. After winning a state championship at Greer High School in South Carolina, he played collegiately at Western Carolina in Cullowhee, N.C. Both schools are located three hours or less from Columbia, S.C.

Morris could fill the vacant position with another defensive line coach who focuses on defensive tackles, similar to Scott’s role, or bring in a special teams coordinator.