Nick Scott began his career with the Nittany Lions as a running back in 2013. Now, in 2018, he could be one of the key players on the defensive side of the ball for Penn State.

Scott transitioned from running back to safety midway through his college career. With talents like Saquon Barkley and Andre Robinson in front of him on the depth chart, playing time was always going to be extremely limited for him at that position. For a player of his natural ability and athleticism, the switch was entirely possible.

That said, the transition from running back to safety has been on the slower side, as can be expected. Now in his senior year, Scott appears to be primed to make a big impact this season.

With the Nittany Lions losing Marcus Allen and Troy Apke to graduation, Scott will finally get his chance as a starter this fall. So far, he’s had a great offseason to prepare himself for his increased role according to James Franklin.

“Nick Scott came in with the highest, what we call our T-score, on the team, which is a combination of the power clean, squat, bench press, vertical jump, 40-yard dash, and body weight,” Franklin said. “You could make the argument Nick Scott is the best athlete that we have on our team from a testing perspective, so excited about that.”

With a starting role on defense next year, Scott could serve as a replacement for Allen. While he may be less experienced in the safety position than his predecessor, he certainly has the size and athleticism to fill Allen’s vacated role.

So far Scott has been excelling in spring practices, and his teammates are taking notice.

“Nick plays fast — you’ve seen him on special teams. He’s a crazy dude,” linebacker Koa Farmer said. “He’s taking that next step in his role. It’s good.”

Despite Scott only featuring on special teams and as a rotational player before this season, he already looks comfortable on the field. “You can definitely see he’s a veteran out there,” Farmer said. “He’s been making plays.”

With a handful of key contributors on both sides of the ball departing for the NFL Draft and graduation, Franklin will be looking for some fresh faces across his roster to step up and take larger roles this season. Luckily for Franklin, he can lean on Scott to bring an added veteran presence to his defense that will feature several young starters.

The Nittany Lions are primed to have a few breakout players this season. Scott might just be the best of the bunch.