Dec. 13, 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Former Kentucky tailback Chad Scott, who has spent the past six seasons coaching running backs with new UK offensive coordinator Neal Brown at both Troy and Texas Tech, will return to Lexington as an offensive assistant coach with the Wildcats, head coach Mark Stoops announced Thursday. Scott’s position assignment will be finalized when the staff hiring is complete.

“I’m excited to have Chad join our staff,” Stoops said. “He has had tremendous success coaching in this system and his familiarity with Coach Brown, along with his experience with the Kentucky program, will help our transition with the team. He also is known as an outstanding recruiter and I’m confident he will help us in that area as well.”

Scott ventures back to Kentucky after spending the last three seasons at Texas Tech. While TTU has been known for great success throwing the ball, Scott’s running backs have made significant contributions to the offense as well. The Red Raiders have rushed for 135.5 yards per game and scored 51 rushing touchdowns during his three seasons. TTU’s primary running backs have averaged 4.95 yards per rushing attempt.

Scott inherited a running attack that ranked 115th in rushing offense in 2009 at 84 yards per game, improving that mark in his first season to 75th nationally with 141.3 yards per contest. The team’s leading rusher, Baron Batch, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers and is in his second season with that team.

The improvements continued in Scott’s second season as Texas Tech was on pace to have its best year rushing since the late 1990s before Tech’s top two rushers both sustained season-ending injuries. The Red Raider running backs still rushed for 1,516 yards on the season.

In 2012, TTU averaged 139.5 yards per game on the ground with three backs rushing for more than 400 yards each. Overall, Texas Tech won the TicketCity Bowl over Northwestern following the 2010 season and has earned a berth in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas this season.

Scott earned his first full-time coaching job at Troy as an assistant coach for running backs from 2007-09, helping lead the Trojans three consecutive Sun Belt Conference Championships and a pair of appearances in the New Orleans Bowl.

Scott was a part of an offensive turnaround at Troy, inheriting an offense that ranked 66th in rushing offense and 77th in total offense prior to his arrival. In just one season, Troy moved to 35th nationally in rushing offense with 182.6 yards per game and 16th in total offense with 452.8 yards per contest. In his final season at Troy, the Trojans ranked third in the nation in total offense.

In each of Scott’s first two seasons he coached an All-Sun Belt Conference player in Kenny Cattouse and DuJuan Harris. Harris ranked second in the conference in rushing in 2008 with 1,077 yards. In Scott’s last season at Troy he coached Shawn Southward, who rushed for 602 yards and 12 touchdowns, to Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year honors.

In his six seasons at Troy and Texas Tech, Scott’s teams have averaged 34.1 points per game.

“Chad is a very detail-oriented coach and his players have been very productive at Troy and Texas Tech. His familiarity with the system is a great asset,” Brown said. “Chad is also a phenomenal recruiter. He does a great job building relationships with student-athletes, families and coaches.”

“I’m excited for the opportunity to work with Coach Stoops, as I love the vision he has for Kentucky,” Scott said. “I’m also excited to continue working with Neal Brown. We’ve had a great relationship coaching together the past six years and we’re very eager to bring success to the Kentucky program.

“Kentucky is a special place to me and my family. It’s an honor to return to the school where I began my college career and is my wife’s alma mater.”

A native of Tampa, Fla., Scott enrolled at Kentucky in 2000, rushing for 611 yards as a true freshman en route to All-SEC Freshman Team honors and third-team Freshman All-America honors. Scott’s sophomore season with UK was limited because of injury and he transferred to North Carolina to complete his collegiate career.

With the Tar Heels, Scott rushed for 182 yards as a junior. In a solid senior campaign, Scott ranked seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing with 796 yards and eight rushing touchdowns.

Scott spent time in the National Football League with Cleveland, Pittsburgh and the New York Giants before returning to his alma mater in 2006 as a graduate assistant video analyst.

Scott graduated from UNC with a degree in sociology. He is married to the former Shambrica Jones, who played basketball at Kentucky, and the couple has a daughter, Kori, and a son, Jakobe.

The Scott File