Penn State's Juice Scruggs: 'After That First Hit, It Was Like I Was Back to Normal'

Penn State lineman Juice Scruggs returns to football practice for the first time since his 2019 car accident.

Last week, Penn State offensive lineman Juice Scruggs delivered his first hit in nearly two years. It was a simple pass play against defensive end Judge Culpepper, and Scruggs wondered for a moment how he and his back would respond.

"In my head, I'm thinking to myself, 'Is it going to be different?'" Scruggs said. "After that first hit, it was like it was back to normal. I was like, 'Yeah, I'm good, no worries after that.'"

Scruggs, a redshirt sophomore offensive lineman, returns to the field for Penn State after missing the 2019 season while recovering from a spring car accident. Earlier this year, Scruggs said he wanted nothing more than to play again after enduring a long rehabilitation process, through which he wore a back brace for eight months.

Then the Big Ten postponed its season Aug. 11, sending Scruggs back to workouts wondering when he might return to the field. Few were happier than Scruggs when the season restarted.

"Right now, I feel great," Scruggs said. "I feel like I'm about as close to 100 percent as I've been. And I would say that right before they postponed [the season], I felt like I was ready to go. I didn't have any issues at all."

Scruggs is practicing at center and guard, learning two positions under new offensive line coach Phil Trautwein. He still has days that require extra stretching or time in the ice tub but is committed to maintaining his physical routine.

"I know my body is different now, and I just have to be aware of that," he said.

Though not there yet, Scruggs said he expects to be a better player than he was before the injury. Fellow center Michal Menet certainly sees the possibility.

"I think he's going to be a really, really good player," Menet said. "And I'm happy to see him healthy and getting out there and being able to work on his craft and just get better each and every day. And that's kind of how he's approached it. He's obviously been through a ton of adversity, but he's kind of rolled with the punches throughout the whole way. And it's starting to come together for him."

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