MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama defensive back B.J. Scott has been added to the roster for the 2013 Senior Bowl and will play in the postseason all-star game for NFL prospects on Saturday in Mobile.
Scott becomes the third player in the four-year history of the South Alabama football program to receive a B.J. Scott Senior Bowl invitation, following wide receiver Courtney Smith in 2011 and Jake Johnson. Scott confirmed on Twitter that he would return to Mobile to join practices ahead of Saturday’s game. Former University of Alabama teammate Carson Tinker was among the first to share the news on social media.
A Productive Senior Season
Scott, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound native of Prichard, Ala., earned honorable mention All-Sun Belt Conference recognition in 2012. He finished the season with 84 tackles, six tackles for loss, two interceptions, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
He recorded a career-high 12 solo tackles in the Jaguars’ game at Hawaii and posted double-digit tackle totals four times during the 2012 season. Two of those performances came against Mississippi State and in South Alabama’s victory over Florida Atlantic, the program’s first win as a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision and the Sun Belt Conference.
Career at South Alabama
Over two seasons with the Jaguars, Scott totaled 132 tackles, nine pass breakups and three forced fumbles, and he averaged 29 yards per kickoff return. He recorded seven games with 10 or more tackles as a Jaguar. Scott missed the final three games of the 2011 season because of a knee injury.
Collegiate Bowl Appearance and Johnson Injury
Last weekend, Scott played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl alongside South Alabama teammate Jake Johnson. Scott was credited with two tackles and had one punt return for no gain in that game.
Johnson was added to the Senior Bowl roster on Tuesday, but he ruptured his Achilles tendon during his first practice with the team on Wednesday and will not play in the game.
The Senior Bowl, an annual showcase for senior NFL draft prospects, is played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, which also serves as the home field for South Alabama football.
Update: Details of Johnson’s Injury
Johnson was injured about 15 minutes into his first Senior Bowl practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium and was taken off the field on a cart. He had learned of his Senior Bowl invitation a day earlier and drove to Mobile from Atlanta, where he had been living and training for NFL workouts.
A ruptured Achilles tendon typically requires a recovery period of about 11 months.
