Penn State's Juice Scruggs Heads to the NFL Stronger Than Ever

Scruggs produced one of Penn State's great recent success stories. His next chapter begins after the Rose Bowl.

Penn State's Juice Scruggs remembers the searing pain he experienced trying to get into a truck in the spring of 2019. The spasms radiated through his lower back and legs at the simple movement. Scruggs paused and thought his future.

"Alright, we've got a long road of us,'" Scruggs told himself. "Is this worth it? Do you want to do this?'"

Having answered that question with a resounding yes, Scruggs spent the past four years following his serious 2019 car accident charting a purposeful course. Now, he's pursuing a lifelong dream in the NFL, entering the 2023 draft after playing in the Rose Bowl.

It's the next chapter of Scruggs' astonishing story, one that he wouldn't allow to become a tragedy in 2019.

"My dad [Frederick] said something to me once: It was, 'God gives his toughest battles to his toughest soldiers,'" Scruggs said. "I was feeling weak at the time, and when he told me that, it hit me. I understood I was one of God's toughest soldiers."

🌹🌹🌹#HessStrong pic.twitter.com/gXdVEvElkd

— Supa (@JuiceScruggs) December 24, 2022

Scruggs earned All-Big Ten honors at center this season, during which he was a Penn State captain and the team's most durable lineman. He started all 12 regular-season games, led the Lions in snaps and played through pain at times.

Penn State coach James Franklin called Scruggs the team's ironman center, the player who "makes us go."

"Just talk about a guy that literally practices every day, bumps and bruises, plays in every, game bumps and bruises," Franklin said in November. "Not only is he playing at a high level, but he's durable, consistent, is the quarterback of the offensive line, is the quarterback of the protections, is the quarterback of the run game, getting us all on the same page."

Scruggs endured a long, determined road to restore that durability. He was a passenger in a 2019 car accident in which he was thrown from the vehicle, sustaining a fractured vertebra and a concussion.

Scruggs wore a back brace for eight months of rehabilitation and missed the 2019 season. He returned to the field 17 months after the accident, getting snaps in Penn State's November 2020 game against Maryland. He played without pain and afterward hugged his mother "for like 10 minutes."

Scruggs could have returned to Penn State in 2023 for a sixth season but has played a lot of football the past two seasons. Scruggs has started 25 consecutive games at guard and center. At this point, he's ready to pursue the next phase of his career.

"It's something definitely I don’t want to rush into, but I’m eager to play in the NFL," Scruggs said in mid-December, before making his announcement. "But also I want to make sure the time is right and make sure everything is aligned for me to do so."

Scruggs improved his draft potential this season as the Lions' starting center, demonstrating an ability to control the offense and run-block aggressively. He's also an athletic lineman who should shine at the NFL combine.

Scruggs said he still has occasional back tightness but understands his body much better now, particularly after rehab. Following the accident, Scruggs pushed himself to work harder, train smarter and be positive.

Now, he's a better football player having gone through that.

"I owed it not only to me, not only to Penn State but also to my family," he said. "They did way too much for me to give up now and not even play a snap."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.