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It wasn’t long ago that Kevin Scott felt a unique kind of pain. The pain being described is something that not many athletes ever experience. He watched from afar as his teammates made college football history without him.

“I watched the Rose Bowl at home,” Scott told TrojanSports.com. “After the game, I noticed our team could be really special. We could actually win a national championship. And just having an opportunity to be on the roster and actually play with them, is an honor.”

Scott did participate with USC throughout the 2016 season and is proud of everything he helped the team accomplish. But he sat out the Rose Bowl because of academic issues. That experience caused a feeling he’ll always remember.

“I had a little bitterness down on myself,” Scott said. “Not bitterness towards my team but towards myself, like how could I mess up such an opportunity. But it’s a lesson learned. I really humbled myself. I came back and it kind of brought myself back to reality like why I’m playing football and why I’m doing this and why I’m trying to be in school.”

That pain continued well after the bowl game. Scott also missed his chance to participate in spring practice. Right now, he badly wants to get on the football field again.

“I feel if I get the opportunity to play on the field, I will make some plays and I will help my team,” Scott said. “It’s just a matter of me getting back to USC and getting back on the field.”

And Scott is confident he’ll be back on USC’s roster this season.

“I’m certain,” Scott said. “I’m confident I’ll be back and I’ll be a Trojan.”

Scott would be a welcomed and experienced addition to the defensive line as a redshirt sophomore. But he’s not back to USC yet. He’s currently working on his academics. As he puts it, he’s “just passing classes, just getting my credits up so I’m eligible to play.”

All of this is happening at another school, less than 10 miles from USC’s campus.

“Right now, I’m in junior college,” Scott said. "I enrolled in a class at LA Southwest. I’m taking a class to get back. I’ll be back in the summer, fall camp or mid-summer school session two, kind of before fall camp. I’ll be looking to compete. I’m in good shape. I’ve been working out twice a day for five days a week. So I feel pretty good.”

While this young man is motivated just by the opportunity to play college football at USC again, he’s also excited because he could play a significant role for USC’s 2017 team.

“There’s a lot of opportunity,” Scott said. “I just have to come in, work hard, back where I left off. I kind of left on a good note, so I’m going to try to come back and stay the course, keep pushing forward.”

His coaches also think he could help improve the roster.

“They want me back, they don’t want me to be anywhere else,” Scott said.

The USC coaching staff have made their feelings about Scott very clear. They all speak on a regular basis.

“I talk to KU (Kenechi Udeze) at least once a week,” Scott said. “I went to a couple practices at SC and I had a long conversation with Coach (Clay) Helton. So we’re going good.”

Helton has also told Scott he could be an important piece of this team’s roster.

“From Helton’s point of view, we had a sit down and he said next year, he’s looking for me to actually help out on the defensive line,” Scott said. “I can do a lot of things. The last two years, I’ve proven myself. That I can play this game because it has been a struggle for me only playing a year of football. But right now, I feel like everything is good. I just have to come in, work hard and make plays for my team.”

There is one significant physical difference between the Scott that left USC and the Scott who’s fighting to return. That would be his weight. Scott used to be a 300-pound defensive tackle for the Trojans. But now at 280-pounds, he says he’s somewhere between a defensive end and defensive tackle.

“My body is kind of going through a change right now, so I’m kind of a tweener,” Scott said. “So it’s wherever the coaches want to put me.”

He really doesn’t mind playing wherever he’s needed. In fact, he hopes to eventually play every defensive line position for the Trojans.

“Based on my athleticism and how my body changed from coming in as a freshman, to now, how I look, I’m very athletic,” Scott said. “So I can do a lot of things on the D-line, and they feel the same too. I’ve showed it. And not only in intense situations but in scout team they put me in various places. So I’m just ready.”

This defensive line could use some experienced depth at just about every position. Based on his coaches comments, Scott is preparing to play any spot along the front.

“That’s something I’m working on,” Scott said. “I want to be versatile and play every position on the D-line by the time I leave college. So wherever they’ll put me, I’ll work hard.”