Da'Rel Scott (born May 26, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL draft by the New York Giants. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins. During the 2008 season, he was the second-leading rusher in the Atlantic Coast Conference, behind Jonathan Dwyer of Georgia Tech.
Scott played high school football as a running back and free safety at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School. He was moderately recruited, but Scout.com thought he was more suited to the position of wide receiver or cornerback at the intercollegiate level. In 2006, he enrolled at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he was moved to wide receiver, but he spent the entire season on redshirt status. The following season, he saw limited action as a reserve running back behind starters Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore. He also played on special teams as a kickoff returner, which was the coaching staff's attempt to get him on the field in some capacity because of his speed (4.31 seconds in the 40-yard dash and sub 10.5 seconds in the 100 meters)
In 2008, Scott took over as Maryland's starting running back and spent much of the season as the leading rusher in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). He was eventually surpassed by Dwyer, although both players were named to the All-ACC first-team at the season's end. Scott also became the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl most valuable player when he broke the University of Maryland bowl game rushing record, and he finished the season with 1,133 rushing yards, the seventh Terrapin player to surpass a thousand yards in a single season.
Early life Scott was born on May 26, 1988, in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, to Gloria and Lee Scott Sr. He has two older brothers, Lee Scott Jr., who played football as a defensive back at La Salle, and James, who ran track at Saint Joseph's. When Da'Rel Scott was eight years old, his parents had a falling out, which prompted his father to leave the family. Thereafter, Lee Scott Sr. was no longer involved in raising his sons and would often miss scheduled visits. Da'Rel Scott said, "He just kept letting me down. Just day by day, I was thinking, 'I need a father figure in my life.'" In high school, his attitude changed, and he said, "I don't need him." Despite the absence of his biological father, Scott grew up with the support of his mother, two brothers Lee and James, cousin Leroy, family friend and youth football coach Mike Shaw, and high school athletic director Charlie Forster.
He attended Plymouth Whitemarsh High School in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, where he was a four-year letterwinner in football, track, and basketball. In football, Scott was a three-year starter and played as both a tailback and free safety. During his senior year, he rushed for 2,523 yards and 38 touchdowns on 232 attempts. As both a junior and senior, he received the Maxwell Award for the conference player of the year. As a senior, The Times Herald named him the area player of the year, the Associated Press named him an all-state player, and he was invited to the Big 33 Football Classic all-star game. SuperPrep named him an all-region player.Player Bio: Da'Rel Scott , University of Maryland, retrieved November 16, 2008. Rivals.com rated him a four-star prospect and assessed him as the 21st-ranked "athlete" recruit in the nation. Scout.com assessed him as a three-star prospect, and wrote of him, "This kid can flat out fly. He runs a sub 10.5 100 meters, and a sub 21.0 200 meters. Scott needs to get physically bigger to be a college running back; he may project better as a wide receiver or cornerback."Da'Rel Scott Profile, Scout.com, retrieved August 3, 2009. Scott received scholarship offers from Georgia Tech, Penn State, Virginia, and his ultimate choice, Maryland.Da'Rel Scott, Rivals.com, retrieved September 6, 2009. In 2006, he enrolled at the University of Maryland, where he studied kinesiology.
College career
2006 season Scott sat out the 2006 season as a redshirt. After summer training camp, the coaching staff moved Scott to wide receiver, a position that lacked depth, but head coach Ralph Friedgen said that Scott had some difficulty making the adjustment.Marc Carig, Lack of Receiving Depth A Concern for Friedgen, The Washington Post, p. E09, September 37, 2006. He was, however, named the offensive scout team player of the week for his performance in the practices before the Florida State game.
2007 season During 2007 spring practice, Scott was third on the depth chart, but suffered a left knee injury, which forced him to miss most of camp.Heather Dinich, Terps' Ball, Green have spring in step, The Baltimore Sun, April 26, 2007. During the 2007 season, he played in nine games as a reserve tailback behind Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore and as a kickoff returner. Despite the team's abundance of running backs, Friedgen wanted to utilize Scott in some capacity because of his speed, which had been recorded at 4.25 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey said, "On paper it says I'm faster, but Da'Rel, he's just a different type of animal." Against Wake Forest, he saw his first action when he returned four kickoffs for 101 yards. Scott's special teams performance in that game sufficiently impressed head coach Friedgen that he said, "I think I've got to try to get him involved within the offense. I think he's a guy that can make some plays for us."Marc Carig, Sputtering Offense Troubles Maryland, The Washington Post, p. E04, September 25, 2007. The following week, unranked Maryland upset 10th-ranked Rutgers, and Scott made his first career appearance as a tailback. He had three carries for 29 yards.Patrick Stevens, Back from Jersey, The Washington Times, September 30, 2007. After sitting out the Georgia Tech game because of an ankle injury,Marc Carig, Friedgen Looks for Healthy Players, The Washington Post, p. E10, October 10, 2007. he returned four kicks for 68 yards against Virginia, three for 56 yards against Clemson, and two for 40 yards against North Carolina. Against eighth-ranked Boston College, Scott caught a short screen pass from quarterback Chris Turner and ran 57 yards for a touchdown.Andrew Zuckerman, Speedster Scott gets his chance , The Diamondback, November 14, 2007. It was his first career reception and first career touchdown. It was one of just two offensive plays for Scott in that game, and incidentally, he was not intended to be in it. Friedgen said
When he was in the game, I didn't even know he was in the game. I called a screen pass. I looked up, and it was Da'Rel in there. I figured we were just giving Lance a rest, but I asked [running backs coach Phil] Zacharias about it Sunday and he started laughing. I said 'Did you put Da'Rel in for that screen pass?' He said, 'Lance's equipment was broken, so he had to go in the game.'
In the loss to Florida State, Scott rushed twice for 17 yards and returned four kickoffs for 132 yards. On one return, Scott gained 60 yards and nearly broke away for a touchdown, but Maryland was unable to capitalize on the gain during the subsequent possession.Andrew Zuckerman, Terps Get Chopped By Seminoles , The Diamondback, November 19, 2007. The next week, Maryland secured bowl eligibility by winning its regular season finale against NC State. Scott returned the opening kickoff 36 yards and recorded 89 yards on eight carries to lead the team in rushing. In the 2007 Emerald Bowl against Oregon State, Scott had one carry for no gain and returned two kickoffs for 36 yards. Scott finished the season as the team's all-purpose yardage leader with 84.2 yards per game and kick return leader with 566 yards, which set a school record for a freshman. Rivals.com named him a freshman All-ACC all-purpose player.
2008 season After the graduation of running backs Ball and Lattimore, Scott competed with Morgan Green for the starting position. At the conclusion of spring practice, it appeared they would share the duties, as they had complementary running styles: Scott had breakaway speed, while Green was a hard runner for short-yardage gains.Heather Dinich, Green, Scott hope to form potent 1-2 punch for Maryland, ESPN, May 1, 2008. However, Green suffered a quadriceps injury that caused him to fall to the third-string position behind true freshman Davin Meggett.Patrick Stevens, Green's time may finally arrive, The Washington Times, April 22, 2009.
During the season, Scott played in 12 of 13 games, including 11 starts, and recorded 1,133 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. In the first game of the 2008 season against Delaware, Scott ran for 197 yards in his first career start,Eric Prisbell, , The Washington Post, p. D1, August 31, 2008. which was enough to place sixteenth on the list for school all-time single-game rushing. The following week, underdog Middle Tennessee stunned Maryland, 24–14, but Scott set the game-high for rushing with 123 yards.Midd Tenn. upsets Maryland 24–14, USA Today, September 6, 2008. He tallied his career-first rushing touchdown with a 63-yard run on the second play of the game. Scott "dominated early" against 23rd-ranked California with 19 carries for 87 yards and two touchdowns, but in the third quarter, he suffered a game-ending shoulder injury.Mario Gomez, Cal's Late Rally Falls Short, Rivals.com, September 13, 2008. His first-half effort helped Maryland take a quick lead and eventually upset California, 35–27.David Ginsburg, Maryland Provides Wakeup Call to No. 23 California; Maryland ruins No. 23 California's cross-country trip, pulling off 35–27 upset, ABC News, September 13, 2008. Scott sat out the next game against Eastern Michigan, but returned for the road game at 20th-ranked Clemson. Scott made 23 carries but gained only 39 yards, a mark that was surpassed by receiver Heyward-Bey on one reverse that gained 76 yards to spark a second-half comeback.Eric Boynton, Clemson falters in second half, loses to Maryland 20–17, Spartanburg Herald-Journal, September 27, 2008. Head coach Friedgen said
I told Da'Rel he needed to run a little more north–south. Clemson has such good team speed. If you go east–west on them, you're not going to go very far. I thought he had a couple runs when he tried to bounce it outside. Normally, Da'Rel can do that. Not against this team . . . I told him this is a game where three yards is a good running play . . . I don't know if Da'Rel has been in a game like this, playing the whole game that way in a tough environment. He came out in the second half and said 'I'm going to go, coach.' He patted me on the butt. 'Just get me the ball.'Patrick Stevens, The young Philadelphian , The Washington Times, September 27, 2008.