Warszawski: Fresno State receiver Da’Mari Scott runs roundabout route to redemption

Da’Mari Scott took a circuitous route to becoming a starting wide receiver at Fresno State.

Step No. 1 was quitting the team in February.

“He had some off-the-field things going on, but he also was disappointed with his role,” Bulldogs coach Tim DeRuyter said. “I told him he was free to look for greener pastures somewhere else.”

Step No. 2 was intending to move back to his home state of Michigan to be with his sick mother, Donna Covington. Only for her to suffer a fatal heart attack March 7.

“It kind of was sudden,” Scott said. “She was sick, but we didn’t know she was that sick.”

Step No. 3 was calling DeRuyter, asking to be let back on the team and sweating it out before eventually being told “Yes” – on the condition that he’d redshirt this season.

“I was willing to do anything to get back on the field,” Scott said.

Step No. 4 was Scott showing during fall camp that he was one of the Bulldogs’ best outside receivers, even though he knew he’d be relegated to the scout team.

During Fresno State’s 34-13 season-opening victory over Abilene Christian, 54 players got to run onto the field and participate in at least one play. Scott never left the sideline.

“I knew eventually I was going to get my shot again,” the junior said after a recent practice. “So I just kept coming out here and working my butt off.”

Step No. 5 was the coaching staff recognizing Scott’s effort and the glaring need at outside receiver, and elevating him from the scout team.

Even though Scott didn’t start in Fresno State’s 73-21 loss at Mississippi, he finished with a team-leading five catches for 67 yards. He came off the bench in the 45-24 loss to Utah and again led the team with five catches, including a 32-yard touchdown.

Scott’s 10 receptions already have surpassed the eight he had last season in 14 games.

“I think Da’Mari being back brought a lot of intensity to that group,” DeRuyter said. “He’s brought a desire other guys need to match.”

Receivers coach Ron Antoine added: “He loves football. He loves being out here practicing. You can tell by the way he practices and by the way he plays how much he loves football.”

Scott loved football last season, too, though it didn’t really show. He started the opener against USC but soon slid down the depth chart and had no catches in the final eight games. At practice, he wouldn’t line up right, and when he did, he’d often run the wrong route.

All the while, Scott kept silent about his mother’s illness.

“It was kind of affecting me, but I really didn’t tell no one,” he said. “But it was still in the back of my mind, and I was trying to come out here and compete. It went on all year.”

Frustrated by his role and eager to be with this mother, Scott quit the team but kept taking classes. When his mother suddenly passed, there was no need to go back home. Family members encouraged him to stay in Fresno and keep playing football.

There was just one problem: There was no guarantee the Bulldogs would welcome him back.

“When someone leaves, it’s like anything in life: You lose trust,” DeRuyter said. “He had to earn back that trust.”

DeRuyter did not immediately roll out the welcome mat for Scott. Instead, he called a meeting in his office of the Bulldogs’ six “accountability captains” and sought their input. The six talked privately and solicited the locker room before letting him return as a redshirt.

“There was definitely some major discussion among the six captains, but we all agreed that bringing him back was an OK thing to do,” senior long snapper Dylan Detwiler said.

Knowing this was his second chance, Scott brought a better attitude to fall camp. Coaches noticed a difference from the first day. Still, there were no plans to use him in a game. That began to change when Aaron Peck suffered a season-ending foot injury in fall camp and Darrell Fuery was hurt in the opener, depleting an already inexperienced unit.

Meanwhile, Scott’s performance and effort on the scout team couldn’t be ignored.

“He was busting his tail trying to get better and help our team,” DeRuyter said. “I think what happened was his stature within the team got elevated.”

Step No. 6 was elevating Scott’s name atop the depth chart for Saturday’s Mountain West Conference opener against San Jose State. It would be the second start of his career.

Considering what he’s been through, the final step was the easiest.

“I’ve got a chip on my shoulder every play, you know?” Scott said. “My family’s counting on me. My teammates are counting on me. Everybody’s counting on me. It’s on my shoulders.”

This story was originally published September 24, 2015 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Warszawski: Fresno State receiver Da’Mari Scott runs roundabout route to redemption."