All 105 is a Nittany Sports Now series profiling each Penn State football player. This edition will look at redshirt senior offensive lineman Juice Scruggs.
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 310 pounds
Hometown: Ashtabula, Ohio
Before Penn State: Scruggs played at Catherdral Prep in Pennsylvania, and over his four years, the Ramblers went 49-3 and didn’t lose a game over Scruggs’s last two seasons en route to two state titles.
Scruggs’s performance as a senior landed him on USA Today’s All- Pennsylvania team and received four-star status from 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN.
Scruggs played well at more than one position. 247 had Scruggs as the No. 5 center in the country, and ESPN had him as the No. 10 guard. He committed to Penn State.
At Penn State:
2018: Scruggs redshirted his first season at Penn State and played in one game, making his college debut against Maryland in the regular-season finale.
2019: Scruggs didn’t appear in any of Penn State’s games because of a car accident the week before spring practice.
2020: Scruggs returned to the field and played in seven of Penn State’s nine games in an abbreviated pandemic-themed season. He also earned the Tim Shaw Thrive Award, along with Journey Brown, presented to the Penn State football player who has overcome adversities and been an inspiration to his fellow teammates.
2021: Scruggs started all 13 of Penn State’s games and received All-Big Ten honorable mention honors from coaches and media. Penn State recognized Scruggs with the Dick Maginnis Memorial Award for the team’s most outstanding offensive lineman.
Where he stands: Scruggs will be Penn State’s starting center in Week 1 against Purdue and will stay there all year if all goes according to plan.
Quarterback Sean Clifford describes Scruggs as “the keystone of our offense,” and his teammates wouldn’t argue. Although Scruggs has primarily played guard in college, he’s played center, too, and should be up for the challenge.
After going through a living nightmare three years ago, Scruggs is strong beyond football, and Penn State will look for him to lead a line with a lot to prove in 2022.
A quote about Scruggs: “He’s been through a lot at Penn State,” Clifford told reporters via Zoom the Monday before Penn State’s opening game at Purdue. “So to say now that he’s in a good spot is an understatement.”
