Penn State’s Juice Scruggs, healthy and ready to compete, looks to continue ‘special’ story

STATE COLLEGE — Rasheed Walker needed a roommate, and the Penn State offensive lineman knew he didn’t have to look far to find the right fit.

Walker joined the Nittany Lions alongside fellow offensive lineman Juice Scruggs in the Class of 2018, and Walker watched how Scruggs navigated a career that featured a potentially career-ending car crash, a grueling rehab and the opportunity at coming all the way back to seize a starting spot.

Walker saw how Scruggs has handled everything that college football — and life — threw at him, and he knew Scruggs was someone he needed to be around.

“Juice is a great accountability partner,” Walker said at Penn State Media Day earlier this month. “He does everything the right way. He eats healthy, wakes up early, we always get extra work. … I feel like one of the main reasons I chose Juice to be my roommate is because those are things I knew about because I know he works hard, I know he takes care of his body, I know he’s going to make the right decisions, and I know about me hanging out with people like that, it’s going to rub off on me.”

In 2021, Scruggs has had the chance to put all of those traits to work as he attempts to earn one of two open starting guard spots along the offensive line. In the spring, Scruggs worked extensively at right guard, and he appeared to enter fall camp as the favorite to start between center Mike Miranda and right tackle Caedan Wallace when the season kicks off at Wisconsin.

After so many setbacks, Scruggs — who said he got his nickname “Juice” from his father when he was younger because he wouldn’t drink milk — is healthy, and he’s ready to show what he can do for the Nittany Lions.

“It feels amazing, to be honest with you,” Scruggs said at media day. “That’s my main focus this year is just stay as healthy as possible because the best (ability) is being available, and I just want to stay healthy all year.”

Scruggs, 21, was a four-star recruit out of Cathedral Prep in Erie where he won two PIAA state titles in his final two seasons. He was dominant in the trenches, and he was part of a lauded Penn State Class of 2018. He got his first taste of action in the 2018 season finale, and he entered 2019 looking to expand his role as a redshirt freshman after sharing Scout Team Offensive Player of the Year honors.

But Scruggs suffered a serious back injury in a car crash shortly before spring football started in 2019. Not only was Scruggs’ availability for that fall uncertain, his career was in question.

Last fall, though, Scruggs returned to game action on the football field for the first time in nearly two years in the third game of the season. He appeared in the final seven games of the season in a reserve role. And now, he has the chance to take on even more responsibility as a starter.

“He’s done a heck of a job, and he continues to get bigger and stronger and working hard and building great habits,” offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said at media day. “I wasn’t here when he had his accident, but from what I’ve heard about it and to where he is today or even when I got here, it’s remarkable and it’s awesome to see because I know he loves football and he loves that he has this opportunity to come out today and get better.”

Scruggs is listed at 6-foot-3, 315 pounds on the Penn State roster, and he said it’s the heaviest he’s ever been. He said putting on the weight was “frustrating at times,” but once he found the right weight where he can move like he’s used to moving, he didn’t even notice it. Scruggs said he’s spent the offseason focusing on his pass protection, and he’s continued his education when it comes to opposing defensive schemes and different formations.

Scruggs’ teammates have watched him work to get to this point, and Walker knows it firsthand. There’s a gym at the clubhouse in their complex, Walker said, and while the two of them are sitting around with nothing to do at home, Scruggs will suggest they go lift weights.

Those little things add up, too. Walker could be a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, while Scruggs is aiming for a starting job in 2021, but the two “workhorses” are trying to do whatever they can to reach those goals. Walker has seen it up close. Scruggs was listed at 270 pounds when he entered college. Now, Walker said he’s among the biggest and strongest players in the room.

“It’s really just his mindset,” Walker said. “He’s just a worker. That’s just him. That’s just always how he’s been since we first got here. He’s always been the type of guy that’s going to get extra work after we work out. After practice, he’s going to be in the tubs, he’s going to eat healthy. He don’t eat no junk food. I can’t get him to get a donut, a cookie or nothing. He’s that type of guy. That’s just him.”

If Scruggs can win a starting job on the Penn State offensive line, the Ohio native would cap a long journey from the fringes of the game back to the gridiron on game day. It would be a remarkable comeback for a player who was on the brink of losing his career to injury.

Scruggs knows he has the chance to do something special. And every day, his coaches and teammates see him working to achieve just that.

“There’s guys out there that don’t understand the opportunity that they have, but he does every single day and he capitalizes on it every single day,” Trautwein said. “That’s why his story’s so special, and he’s a great role model and he’s a great example for our team and for my unit.”