Pennsylvania’s most famous resident named Michael Scott didn’t go to school at Penn State.
In fact, he isn’t even a real person.
Those who haven’t heard of “The Office” by now are likely either too young or living on Pluto, but in case clarification is needed, Michael Scott, a regional manager from Scranton, Pennsylvania, was the show’s main character for seven of its nine seasons.
A non-fictitious Pennsylvania resident named Michael Scott has tried to give The Office a chance but hasn’t had much success.
“The first season is so boring,” Scott told Nittany Sports Now. “I think I’m just going to skip the first season and go straight to the second season.”
Scott intends to watch the series one day, which would be fitting, considering his name and the fact that he’s from Dallastown, Pennsylvania, which is less than three hours from Scranton. But he’s more focused on his football career. Scott is weeks from starting his junior season at Dallastown Area High School, and his recruitment has increased within the past week.
This past Friday, he was at Penn State for the summer’s fourth and final Elite Showcase.
Scott said this was about the “ninth or 10th time” he had visited Penn State, dating back to before his freshman season in 2021, and he was happy with how this one turned out.
“I feel like every time I go to a Penn State camp, I improve,” he said, “which is a good showing of how coachable I am, how coachable I can be. And I feel like I showed the Penn State coaches just like my ability to get open anytime, no matter who I’m up against. If it’s a guy they’re about to offer that I’m going against, it doesn’t matter. But I can get open anytime, no matter who’s guarding me.”
Scott isn’t tall for a receiver (5-foot-10, 155 pounds), but he makes up for that with his speed, running a 4.44 40-yard dash. As a sophomore, he caught 33 passes for 700 yards and five touchdowns.
“I’m quick,” he said, “I have really good hands, I have good footwork, and I’m fast. So I feel like I just showed the coaches that I’m coachable and I have all the intangibles to play at that level.”
Scott has a good relationship with Penn State’s coaching staff. He’s gotten to know people such as Director of Player Personnel Kenny Sanders, Recruiting Coordinator Chris “Slim” Mahon and Assistant Recruiting Coordinator Rashad Elby. As of Aug. 1, coaches can reach out to Class of 2025 prospects, which will help Scott get to know head coach James Franklin and receivers coach Marques Hagans more.
“Coach Franklin is one of the most down-to-earth coaches for how famous he is and known he is around the country,” Scott said. “He acts just like a regular guy and he keeps it 100 percent real with you.”
Scott worked with Hagans Friday and feels he’ll be a better player for it.
“He’s very precise,” Scott said, “and knows how to work on different receivers’ weaknesses. He found some of my weaknesses at the camp and helped me work on them and gave me stuff to do at home to work on and get better for my high school season. I just feel like he’s very easy to understand… he’s a very down-to-earth guy.”
Scott feels the biggest improvement he’s made on his game is his “ability to take a slant 95 yards for a touchdown.”
“I promise you I will be doing a lot of that this year,” he said.
Scott has five division one offers, with the most recent coming from Cincinnati this past Saturday, July 29. He also has offers from Maryland, Temple, Toledo and West Virginia.
Penn State has yet to offer Scott, and although that can be frustrating, Scott believes whether he gets that offer is up to what he does on the field.
“I feel like, now, this is when the recruiting process actually gets serious since it’s my junior year now, and I feel like they just want to see how I play during my junior year,” Scott said. “I feel like I just have to have a strong showing my junior year, have good stats and stuff, and (if that happens), I feel like I’ll pick up the offer during the season.”
Scott said his recruitment has already “picked up tremendously” since Aug. 1, and he’s been followed on Twitter by coaches from Alabama, Boston College, Florida State, Kentucky, Ohio State, two Oklahoma coaches, South Carolina, Syracuse, SMU, Tennessee and USC.
With Scott’s talent and the amount of time he’s spent at Penn State, an offer feels inevitable from the outside. Scott knows he has work to do but is excited for if and when that day comes.
“It will feel like all of my hard work has really paid off,” he said. “How much time and how much of a relationship I’ve built with all the coaches. I feel like it would really mean a lot if they ended up offering me… I really do want that offer, and I just can’t wait until I get it.”
