BOONE, N.C. — From successful tryout participant to a senior with a scholarship.
Appalachian State defensive lineman
E.J. Scott received the good news Wednesday, on the third day of spring practices under new head coach
Eliah Drinkwitz.
A native of Raleigh, the 6-foot-3, 270-pound Scott played in all 13 games last season and made 12 stops as a walk-on defensive tackle who often backed up All-Sun Belt first-team selection
MyQuon Stout. That followed a redshirt sophomore season in which he overcame an injury to play in six of App State's final seven games.
Scott actually began his college football career at the Division II level, transferred to App State as a non-football-playing student after his freshman season and wasn't on the Mountaineers' roster in 2016. He impressed coaches with his performance in a walk-on tryout and, because of a numbers crunch on the roster, didn't officially join the team until the spring of 2017.
During the fall of 2016, Scott often worked out alone at the Quinn Recreation Center adjacent to Kidd Brewer Stadium. Sometimes, he'd leave Quinn and watch bits of practice by peering through a nearby gated entrance to The Rock.
"I just want to thank God that I got put on scholarship tonight," Scott posted to Twitter on Wednesday night. "I appreciate my coaches for believing in me and brothers for pushing me everyday on the field. It's really a blessing to be in this position, hard work really does pay off."
Drinkwitz responded to Scott's note by saying, "Nothing is given- everything is earned, and brother - you EARNED IT!!"
