Ben Jones
TideSports.com Staff Writer
Don't expect JK Scott to change anything during his second season punting for the University of Alabama. A reporter on Sunday asked the sophomore if he was worried about falling short of his performance as a freshman in 2014.
"Sophomore slump? I'm not worried about anything that has to do with results for this year," Scott said. "Last year, my only goal was to help the team best I could in each situation. That's what I'm going to do this year."
Scott will keep the same routine. He'll start every practice the same way, with a 45-minute "dynamic warmup" that he says fires up his nervous system. That prepares his body for the explosive movements required by punting.
He was a howitzer in the kicking game last year, averaging 48 yards per punt. That led the nation and was the second-best average among punters in college football in the last five years. "I'm a perfectionist," he said.
He needs his routine to be perfect, and he hopes the results follow. They did in 2014.
Only five of his 55 punts went for touchbacks as a freshman, while 31 fell inside the opponent's 20 yard line. The process-oriented punter became the rare true freshman that could be relied upon no matter the situation.
"You worry about guys like that being able to stay focused on what they need to do to be consistent, which he has done a really, really good job of," Alabama coach Nick Saban said during Scott's freshman season.
He even sounds like his head coach at times.
"When I'm punting, whatever the situation is, I'm trying to achieve the best possible result in that situation," he said.
In the biggest situations last year, he was ready. Some of Scott's best performances came in the biggest games. In Alabama's four games that were decided by a touchdown or less last year, his average was 48.8 yards per punt.
There might be a time when Scott looks at what he needs to do differently to try and improve. But that time isn't in August. With the season just a few weeks away, he's focused on what works.
"I just stick to what I do," he said. "Usually when I get to the season, I don't really change a lot. I'm pretty dialed in by that time. I don't want to make a lot of changes during the season."
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1790946#sthash.NxjR3L6g.dpuf
TideSports.com Staff Writer
Don't expect JK Scott to change anything during his second season punting for the University of Alabama. A reporter on Sunday asked the sophomore if he was worried about falling short of his performance as a freshman in 2014.
"Sophomore slump? I'm not worried about anything that has to do with results for this year," Scott said. "Last year, my only goal was to help the team best I could in each situation. That's what I'm going to do this year."
Scott will keep the same routine. He'll start every practice the same way, with a 45-minute "dynamic warmup" that he says fires up his nervous system. That prepares his body for the explosive movements required by punting.
He was a howitzer in the kicking game last year, averaging 48 yards per punt. That led the nation and was the second-best average among punters in college football in the last five years. "I'm a perfectionist," he said.
He needs his routine to be perfect, and he hopes the results follow. They did in 2014.
Only five of his 55 punts went for touchbacks as a freshman, while 31 fell inside the opponent's 20 yard line. The process-oriented punter became the rare true freshman that could be relied upon no matter the situation.
"You worry about guys like that being able to stay focused on what they need to do to be consistent, which he has done a really, really good job of," Alabama coach Nick Saban said during Scott's freshman season.
He even sounds like his head coach at times.
"When I'm punting, whatever the situation is, I'm trying to achieve the best possible result in that situation," he said.
In the biggest situations last year, he was ready. Some of Scott's best performances came in the biggest games. In Alabama's four games that were decided by a touchdown or less last year, his average was 48.8 yards per punt.
There might be a time when Scott looks at what he needs to do differently to try and improve. But that time isn't in August. With the season just a few weeks away, he's focused on what works.
"I just stick to what I do," he said. "Usually when I get to the season, I don't really change a lot. I'm pretty dialed in by that time. I don't want to make a lot of changes during the season."
- See more at: https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1790946#sthash.NxjR3L6g.dpuf
