Who says you can’t go home again?
Artavis Scott, a former Oldsmar Falcon and East Lake High gridiron star whose college team, the Clemson Tigers, recently won the NCAA National Championship in Tampa, was recognized by the Oldsmar City Council last week for his accomplishments both on and off the field.
Scott, who was born in Clearwater and moved to Oldsmar when he was 11, attended the January 17 meeting, along with his mom, Janette Daniels and his dad, Marlon Daniels, at the request of Council Member Jerry Beverland, a friend of Scott’s former Falcons coach, LJ Tucker.
After being introduced by Tucker, who called the 5’9” wide receiver one of the hardest working players he’s ever seen, Scott spoke about growing up in Oldsmar.
“We’ve been living here since about 2005, after we moved here from Clearwater, and ever since then, we’ve just been having fun,” Scott, 22, said.
“It’s been ups and downs since I’ve been here, but I mean that’s part of growing up. But I love it here. A lot of my best friends are over here, so it’s been a great opportunity for me.”
Scott, who graduated from Clemson in less than three years and has already declared for the upcoming NFL draft in April, stayed in town following the Tigers’ 35-31 victory over Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship, which was played at Raymond James Stadium.
The school’s all-time leader in receptions was busy training before leaving for the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama this weekend.
“I’ve decided to go to the next level-I’ve declared for the NFL draft,” Scott said.
“So I’m back here training. I leave Monday to go to the Senior Bowl. Even though I’m not a senior, they let me play.”
Before posing for photos with city officials and signing a “Tay Scott” two-dollar bill for Mayor Doug Bevis, the humble star talked about what it felt like to win a national title in his own backyard.
“It was awesome,” he said. “All the questions I kept getting from the media was, ‘how does it feel?’ Well, I didn’t know how it felt till I actually won it! And it feels great!”
“The opportunity for me to bring that National Championship back home was something I definitely wanted to accomplish more than anything….and I’m glad I got to accomplish that goal.”
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