Scott and Hawkins Added to Orange Coaching Staff
1/5/2026 12:35:00 PM | Football
John Scott Jr., a veteran defensive line coach with NFL and Power 4 experience, and Jeremy Hawkins, a rising star in the coaching industry, have joined Head Coach Fran Brown's defensive staff at Syracuse.
Scott comes to the Orange with 25 years of coaching experience, including stops with the Detroit Lions and New York Jets in the NFL, and collegiate stints at Penn State, Clemson, South Carolina, Arkansas, Texas Tech and more. He will serve as 'Cuse's Assistant Head Coach, co-Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach.
"I'm thrilled to be at Syracuse University," Scott said. "This is a tremendous opportunity to come to a place where they have great tradition and pride. This program has a history of winning, so I'm very thankful for the opportunity to work with these coaches and young men. I'd like to thank Coach Swinney for the opportunity to be around one of college football's all-time winningest coaches for the last two years and learn from him how to run a program, win and have a positive culture.
"The opportunity to work with Coach Fran, who is one of the top college football coaches in the country, was very appealing to me. He's sharp, authentic, driven and talented. He has a great way of capturing the hearts and minds of young men with the way he shares vision for this program, which is to compete for ACC Championships and Playoff appearances. I'm also excited about the defensive staff that he's put together, with coach VK, who is an amazing developer of talent. I'm looking forward to working with him and the rest of the defensive staff to build this defense to be a top-10 defense in the country."
Hawkins, a member of the American Football Coaches Association's 35 Under 35 list and back-to-back 247Sports Sun Belt Recruiter of the Year, will coach edges.
"I'm really thankful for the opportunity to come to Syracuse University," Hawkins said. "I'm so grateful to Fran Brown and Vince Kehres for this opportunity. My wife, Kristen, and I are very excited about the opportunity to get here and help turn this defense around and make it a top-10 defense nationally.
"I truly believe in that because Coach Kehres is a top coordinator in this profession. I can't wait to get around the guys and work alongside a great group of coaches to retool this defense and compete for ACC Championships."
Scott most recently spent the past two seasons as a member of the Clemson, helping the Tigers win the ACC Championship and reach the College Football Playoff in his first season. This past season, the Tigers had a top-20 rushing defense nationally and finished third in the ACC in scoring defense.
"I'm extremely excited and thankful that John Scott decided to come here," Brown said. "For the last 10 years, he's been a top-five defensive line coach in the country. He's coached on every level, including the NFL. Usually when guys get picked up from college to go to the NFL, it means they're developing pros. He knows how to develop a professional. He started at smaller schools and developed at every stop all the way to the pros"
Prior to Clemson, Scott was the Defensive Line Coach for the Detroit Lions, helping end a six-year playoff drought for the franchise and reaching the NFC Championship Game. Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was selected to his first Pro Bowl under Scott's tutelage, becoming the first Lions Pro Bowl defensive end in over 30 years.
He spent the 2020-22 seasons at Penn State as the Nittany Lion's defensive line coach, before adding run game coordinator to his duties in 2022. Scott mentored five All-Big Ten defensive lineman in his three seasons in state college, including All-American Arnold Ebiketie, who was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2022 NFL Draft. Scott had six defensive linemen drafted in his time in State College, including two first round selections, one second, one third and two seventh-round picks.
Scott spent the 2019 season coaching at South Carolina, helping Javon Kinlaw go on to be picked 14th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2020 NFL Draft. Teammate Kobe Smith also signed with the Tennessee Titans.
Prior to South Carolina, he spent two seasons at Arkansas, where he'd mentor McTelvin Agim to be selected in the third round by the Denver Broncos, Armon Watts, a fifth-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings, John Marshall, a sixth-round selection by the New York Jets and T.J. Smith, who inked a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Scott spent two seasons with the New York Jets from 2015-16. In his first season in New York, the Jets allowed the fewest rushing scores in the NFL and had the league's best red zone defense. They finished second in rushing defense and fourth in total defense, and defensive tackle and current Syracuse staff member Muhammad Wilkerson reached the Pro Bowl. The following season, the Jets were fifth in the AFC in rushing defense, while defensive tackle Leonard Williams was invited to the Pro Bowl.
Scott also spent two seasons at Texas Tech (2013-14), where he helped Kerry Hyder earn All-Big XII accolades and go on to a 10-year NFL career, alongside teammate Branden Jackson, who played four years in the NFL.
He spent the 2010-12 seasons at Georgia Southern, where the Eagles had back-to-back trips to the FCS Semifinals in his final two seasons there. He mentored Brent Russell to become a three-time All-American and finish his career as Georgia State's career sacks leader. He also led Roderick Tinsley to All-America status in 2011, and become a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award (FCS' national defensive player of the year) in 2010.
Scott also coached at Missouri State (2009), Western Carolina (2006-08), Norfolk State (2005), Louisiana Lafayette (2002-04) and West Davison High School (2001). Brown and Scott overlapped for one season at Western Carolina during Brown's playing career.
A Greer, South Carolina native, Scott graduated from Western Carolina in 2000 with a degree in Communication, before earning a Masters of Education from Louisiana-Lafayette in 2006. He was a four-year letterman at defensive end for the Catamounts, earning All-Southern Conference honors in 1998.
Hawkins arrives at Syracuse after spending the past-two seasons at Georgia State, where he served as Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Line Coach. He also has previous stops at Eastern Kentucky, LSU, UAB, Mercer, Central Oklahoma and Dublin (Ga.) High School.
"Hawkins is a technician," Brown said. "I think he's someone who can truly upgrade our edge and our pass rush. Pass rush has been an issue that we've had for the last-two years. Fadil Diggs was an elite talent, but I think that Coach Hawkins will be able to develop our guys and create pass rush. He coached all four at Georgia State and has a really respected name. I'm excited about him. The best thing about both of these d-line guys we got is they're good honest men."
At Georgia State, Hawkins established himself as an elite recruiter, ranking as 247Sports' Sun Belt Recruiter of the Year in both 2024 and 2025, and helping the Panthers add the highest-ranked recruiting class in the conference.
He spent four seasons at Eastern Kentucky from 2020-23, serving as the defensive line coach and run game coordinator, helping EKU to back-to-back winning seasons and a berth in the 2022 FCS Playoffs. His unit led the A-Sun in sacks and tackles for loss, while ranking 15th nationally in red zone defense. He also mentored TK McLendon reach the NFL, where he signed with the Tennessee Titans.
He spent the 2019 season as the defensive line coach at Mercer after a one-year stint as LSU's Assistant Director of Player Personnel in 2018, where the Tigers posted a 10-3 record and earned a spot in the Fiesta Bowl.
From 2015-16, he was the assistant defensive line coach and Director of Player Personnel at UAB. In his final season in Birmingham, he helped the Blazers reach an 8-5 record and earn a trip to the Bahamas Bowl. While at UAB, he helped mentor Anthony Rush go on to a six-year NFL Career, most recently with the Atlanta Falcons.
Hawkins was the head coach and defensive coordinator at Middle Georgia State College in 2014, following a two-year stint (2012-13) as the defensive line coach at Dublin High School. He began his college coaching career in 2011 as the running backs and tight ends coach at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Hawkins was a four-year letter winner at Troy, where he earned a bachelor's degree in sports and fitness management in 2009 and a master's degree in sports administration in 2014. As a player, he helped the Trojans reach three bowl games and then went on to play one year of Arena Football for the Iowa Bandits.
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Scott comes to the Orange with 25 years of coaching experience, including stops with the Detroit Lions and New York Jets in the NFL, and collegiate stints at Penn State, Clemson, South Carolina, Arkansas, Texas Tech and more. He will serve as 'Cuse's Assistant Head Coach, co-Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach.
"I'm thrilled to be at Syracuse University," Scott said. "This is a tremendous opportunity to come to a place where they have great tradition and pride. This program has a history of winning, so I'm very thankful for the opportunity to work with these coaches and young men. I'd like to thank Coach Swinney for the opportunity to be around one of college football's all-time winningest coaches for the last two years and learn from him how to run a program, win and have a positive culture.
"The opportunity to work with Coach Fran, who is one of the top college football coaches in the country, was very appealing to me. He's sharp, authentic, driven and talented. He has a great way of capturing the hearts and minds of young men with the way he shares vision for this program, which is to compete for ACC Championships and Playoff appearances. I'm also excited about the defensive staff that he's put together, with coach VK, who is an amazing developer of talent. I'm looking forward to working with him and the rest of the defensive staff to build this defense to be a top-10 defense in the country."
Hawkins, a member of the American Football Coaches Association's 35 Under 35 list and back-to-back 247Sports Sun Belt Recruiter of the Year, will coach edges.
"I'm really thankful for the opportunity to come to Syracuse University," Hawkins said. "I'm so grateful to Fran Brown and Vince Kehres for this opportunity. My wife, Kristen, and I are very excited about the opportunity to get here and help turn this defense around and make it a top-10 defense nationally.
"I truly believe in that because Coach Kehres is a top coordinator in this profession. I can't wait to get around the guys and work alongside a great group of coaches to retool this defense and compete for ACC Championships."
Scott most recently spent the past two seasons as a member of the Clemson, helping the Tigers win the ACC Championship and reach the College Football Playoff in his first season. This past season, the Tigers had a top-20 rushing defense nationally and finished third in the ACC in scoring defense.
"I'm extremely excited and thankful that John Scott decided to come here," Brown said. "For the last 10 years, he's been a top-five defensive line coach in the country. He's coached on every level, including the NFL. Usually when guys get picked up from college to go to the NFL, it means they're developing pros. He knows how to develop a professional. He started at smaller schools and developed at every stop all the way to the pros"
Prior to Clemson, Scott was the Defensive Line Coach for the Detroit Lions, helping end a six-year playoff drought for the franchise and reaching the NFC Championship Game. Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was selected to his first Pro Bowl under Scott's tutelage, becoming the first Lions Pro Bowl defensive end in over 30 years.
He spent the 2020-22 seasons at Penn State as the Nittany Lion's defensive line coach, before adding run game coordinator to his duties in 2022. Scott mentored five All-Big Ten defensive lineman in his three seasons in state college, including All-American Arnold Ebiketie, who was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2022 NFL Draft. Scott had six defensive linemen drafted in his time in State College, including two first round selections, one second, one third and two seventh-round picks.
Scott spent the 2019 season coaching at South Carolina, helping Javon Kinlaw go on to be picked 14th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2020 NFL Draft. Teammate Kobe Smith also signed with the Tennessee Titans.
Prior to South Carolina, he spent two seasons at Arkansas, where he'd mentor McTelvin Agim to be selected in the third round by the Denver Broncos, Armon Watts, a fifth-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings, John Marshall, a sixth-round selection by the New York Jets and T.J. Smith, who inked a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Scott spent two seasons with the New York Jets from 2015-16. In his first season in New York, the Jets allowed the fewest rushing scores in the NFL and had the league's best red zone defense. They finished second in rushing defense and fourth in total defense, and defensive tackle and current Syracuse staff member Muhammad Wilkerson reached the Pro Bowl. The following season, the Jets were fifth in the AFC in rushing defense, while defensive tackle Leonard Williams was invited to the Pro Bowl.
Scott also spent two seasons at Texas Tech (2013-14), where he helped Kerry Hyder earn All-Big XII accolades and go on to a 10-year NFL career, alongside teammate Branden Jackson, who played four years in the NFL.
He spent the 2010-12 seasons at Georgia Southern, where the Eagles had back-to-back trips to the FCS Semifinals in his final two seasons there. He mentored Brent Russell to become a three-time All-American and finish his career as Georgia State's career sacks leader. He also led Roderick Tinsley to All-America status in 2011, and become a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award (FCS' national defensive player of the year) in 2010.
Scott also coached at Missouri State (2009), Western Carolina (2006-08), Norfolk State (2005), Louisiana Lafayette (2002-04) and West Davison High School (2001). Brown and Scott overlapped for one season at Western Carolina during Brown's playing career.
A Greer, South Carolina native, Scott graduated from Western Carolina in 2000 with a degree in Communication, before earning a Masters of Education from Louisiana-Lafayette in 2006. He was a four-year letterman at defensive end for the Catamounts, earning All-Southern Conference honors in 1998.
Hawkins arrives at Syracuse after spending the past-two seasons at Georgia State, where he served as Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Line Coach. He also has previous stops at Eastern Kentucky, LSU, UAB, Mercer, Central Oklahoma and Dublin (Ga.) High School.
"Hawkins is a technician," Brown said. "I think he's someone who can truly upgrade our edge and our pass rush. Pass rush has been an issue that we've had for the last-two years. Fadil Diggs was an elite talent, but I think that Coach Hawkins will be able to develop our guys and create pass rush. He coached all four at Georgia State and has a really respected name. I'm excited about him. The best thing about both of these d-line guys we got is they're good honest men."
At Georgia State, Hawkins established himself as an elite recruiter, ranking as 247Sports' Sun Belt Recruiter of the Year in both 2024 and 2025, and helping the Panthers add the highest-ranked recruiting class in the conference.
He spent four seasons at Eastern Kentucky from 2020-23, serving as the defensive line coach and run game coordinator, helping EKU to back-to-back winning seasons and a berth in the 2022 FCS Playoffs. His unit led the A-Sun in sacks and tackles for loss, while ranking 15th nationally in red zone defense. He also mentored TK McLendon reach the NFL, where he signed with the Tennessee Titans.
He spent the 2019 season as the defensive line coach at Mercer after a one-year stint as LSU's Assistant Director of Player Personnel in 2018, where the Tigers posted a 10-3 record and earned a spot in the Fiesta Bowl.
From 2015-16, he was the assistant defensive line coach and Director of Player Personnel at UAB. In his final season in Birmingham, he helped the Blazers reach an 8-5 record and earn a trip to the Bahamas Bowl. While at UAB, he helped mentor Anthony Rush go on to a six-year NFL Career, most recently with the Atlanta Falcons.
Hawkins was the head coach and defensive coordinator at Middle Georgia State College in 2014, following a two-year stint (2012-13) as the defensive line coach at Dublin High School. He began his college coaching career in 2011 as the running backs and tight ends coach at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Hawkins was a four-year letter winner at Troy, where he earned a bachelor's degree in sports and fitness management in 2009 and a master's degree in sports administration in 2014. As a player, he helped the Trojans reach three bowl games and then went on to play one year of Arena Football for the Iowa Bandits.
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