.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) JK Scott's bio after one season as Alabama's punter takes up a full page in the media guide and begins with heady praise.
''Produced the best season for a punter in Alabama football history...''
The third-ranked Crimson Tide sophomore might not get recognized much on campus - that's a punter's lot, after all - but his booming punts made him one of the team's most acclaimed players straight out of high school in Denver.
''My freshman year was awesome,'' Scott said. ''The transition from high school to college was amazing. There's a lot more fans and hype going towards the game and stuff. It was a lot of fun.''
The Tide opens Saturday against Wisconsin in Arlington, Texas.
Scott was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award after leading the nation's punters with a 48-yard average. Perhaps more impressively, his punts went for a net average of nearly 45 yards and only 12 were returned - for a total of 83 yards.
His punting and net punting averages would have led the NFL last season, too.
The 6-foot-5, 198-pounder can still stroll around campus anonymously, unlike many of his teammates. It comes with the position, and perhaps the lanky build.
''I don't even look like a football player,'' Scott said. ''If anything, they think I'm a basketball player walking around. But yeah, I usually don't get people coming up and all that.''
He's still got a far bigger spread in the media guide than any quarterback on the roster, thanks both to their inexperience and quite a freshman season.
Even with an offense led by Amari Cooper, Scott still played a pivotal role in some of Alabama's biggest games. He boomed three straight 50-plus yard kicks in a loss to Mississippi and had a 70-yarder in a 25-20 win over Mississippi State. Scott buried three punts inside the Bulldogs' 10-yard line.
He also had a 70-yarder in a shootout victory over Auburn with another one pinning the Tigers at their 10-yard line.
In the playoff semifinal loss to Ohio State, he had a 65-yarder and a 73-yarder where safety Jarrick Williams ''completely just crushed that guy at the end. That was pretty cool.''
Scott's debut season will be hard to top. At a position where bench press and 40 times aren't such big priorities, Scott said he's focused on consistency and ability to land the ball where he wants to with more regularity.
He also tries to heed the advice of coach Nick Saban, who's an avid golfer during the offseason.
''Coach is there whenever I punt,'' Scott said. ''He just tells me to keep it simple. He always compares my punting to his golf game. Just `nice easy swing' is what he always tells me, not try to kill it. That usually does the job.''
