Football
- Title:
- Special Teams Coordinator
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Mark Scott• Mark Scott was named Special Teams Coordinator at the University of Houston in January 2020. The 2023 season will be his fourth as Special Teams Coordinator and fifth overall with the Cougars.
• Under Scott, the Cougars had one of the most explosive and reliable special teams units in the nation. Houston return specialists have been named to The American's all-conference teams each of the last three seasons (2022 - Jayce Rogers; 2020-21 - Marcus Jones). Since 2019, five Cougar special teams members have been named all-conference.
• Houston is the only school in the country to have recorded a kickoff return touchdown and punt return touchdown each of the the last four seasons (2019-22). The Cougars lead the nation with 11 return touchdowns (6 kickoff, 5 punt) since the start of the 2019 season.
• Since the start of the 2021 season, the Cougars have held opponents to 6.2 yards per punt return, a mark that ranks 11th nationally and first in Texas. On punt return, the Cougars ranked 10th nationally during 2022, averaging 15.0 yards per return.
• Meanwhile, the Cougars have registered 187 kicking points since the start of the 2021 season which leads The American. Houston converted 97 of 100 extra points during the stretch, a mark that is tied for the seventh most nationally.
• In 2021, Jones returned two kick returns for touchdowns, ranking second nationally, and returned a national-best two punts for touchdowns.
• Scott helped guide Jones to consensus All-America status including being named Associated Press First-Team All American as the nation's best return man. During his rookie season with the New England Patriots in 2022, Jones ranked third in the NFL in kickoff return grade by PFF (80.2) and second in punt return grade (78.3).
• Houston led the nation with six blocked kicks including a national-best four blocked punts. The Cougars did not allow a blocked punt on the season and ranked third in The American with just one blocked kick allowed.
• Place kicker Dalton Witherspoon, who spent three seasons alongside Scott, capped his decorated career with 345 points -- a mark that ranks third in school history. The point total was the ninth-most nationally between 2018-21. His 192 extra-points converted during the timeframe ranked fourth nationally and third in school history. His 51 made field goals checked in at No. 22 nationally and third in school history.
• In Scott’s six seasons at West Virginia, two players under his leadership earned All-America honors in David Long (2017 & 2018) and Isaiah Bruce (2013) while five earned All-Conference honors in Long (2017), Al-Rasheed Benton (2017), Marcus Simms (2017), Daryl Worley (2015) and Will Clarke (2013).
• In 2018, Long was named the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-America honors for a second straight season after leading the Big 12 with 19 tackles for loss.
• The 2017 defense ranked No. 16 nationally in most defensive three-and-outs per game and No. 24 in best third-down defense. Long was named All-American Second Team by Pro Football Focus (PFF) and was an All-Big 12 Conference First Team honoree by ESPN.com. He finished with 16.5 tackles for loss, ranking No. 4 on WVU’s single-season tackle for loss list.
• Benton averaged six solo tackles per game, ranking No. 10 nationally and 8.5 total tackles per game, ranking No. 50 nationally. He also had 13.5 tackles for loss, ranking No. 17 on the WVU’s single-season tackle for loss list.
• The special teams finished No. 16 in kickoff returns, spearheaded by Simms, who was No. 13 nationally in kickoff returns, No. 27 in all-purpose yards and No. 36 in punt returns.
• In 2016, the defense ranked No. 24 nationally in fumbles recovered (11) and turnovers gained (25) and No. 35 in pass interceptions (14) and scoring defense (24.0). In Big 12 games, WVU’s defense was No. 1 in scoring defense, total defense and fewest opponent first downs, No. 2 in rushing defense land No. 3 in third-down defense.
• In 2015, the defense ranked No. 2 nationally in interceptions, No. 5 in turnovers per game, No. 8 in most opponent three downs-and-outs, No. 11 in opponent third-down defense and No. 15 in turnover margin. The special teams ranked No. 11 in kickoff returns and No. 22 in net punting and punt return defense.
• Worley earned All-Big 12 First Team honors and was drafted in the third-round of the NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers.
• In 2012-14, Scott was the on-field graduate assistant coach working with the defense for two-and-a-half years, working with the outside linebackers, the defensive line and the cornerbacks.
• Scott spent a year as an assistant coach at Trine University (Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association), an NCAA Division III school in Angola, Indiana. While at Trine, he was the special teams coordinator and outside linebacker coach for the 2011 season, helping the team to a 7-3 record.
• He also spent three years (2008-10) as a quality control defensive assistant coach at the University of Indianapolis, a school which competes at the NCAA Division II level. He also worked with special teams prior to the 2008 season.
• At Indy, Scott worked with the outside linebackers for two seasons and the defensive secondary for the 2010 season. His defense was No. 1 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while finishing No. 10 nationally in passing defense and No. 16 in total defense in 2009 and No. 12 in passing defense in 2010.
• Scott began his coaching career as a student assistant during his final semester at Hillsdale College, assisting with the linebackers during the 2007 season.
• During his collegiate playing career, Scott was a four-year letterman and three-year starter at outside linebacker at Hillsdale. He amassed more than 200 career tackles and was named All-GLIAC Honorable Mention in 2006.
• Scott and his wife, Kelsey, have two sons, Theodore and Harrison.
