This Saturday, former Lee-Davis standout Latrell Scott will make the next step in a progressive climb up the ladder of success when he leads the University of Richmond football team onto the Scott Stadium field in Charlottesville for his debut as a head coach.

  For Scott, stepping into the role of head coach has been a matter of continual adjustment and taking on a different role even from what he provided in the spring.

  When he first took over the Richmond program, Scott admitted it was a big adjustment to take on all of the responsibilities involved with the team upon himself.

  Since that time he has adjusted to look at the larger picture. “I think the biggest transition for me is just being able to remove myself from football a little bit and focus on the broad spectrum of the entire program,” Scott said. “I think I’m much more involved than I was in the spring. I think I have a little bit better feel of what’s going on and kind of when and where to add my opinion.

  “I was given the opportunity to hire a great staff so I’m able to stay our of their way a lot, but also kind of insert my own opinion when needed,” Scott added. “It’s definitely an adjustment but I’m more comfortable with it than I was in the spring.”

  The players seem to agree. “He’s adapting well,” said senior defensive lineman Martin Parker. “He’s easy to talk to. He always keeps his door open if we want to talk to him.

  “Everybody on the team likes him and we’re all getting along well,” Parker added. “We just can’t wait to actually play a game and play a game for Coach Scott.”

  Scott’s Spiders enter the season ranked as the sixth best team in the Football Championship Series. However, at the same time Richmond is also ranked sixth in the Colonial Athletic Conference. “That must mean we play in the best conference in the country,” Scott said. “If we’re the sixth best team in our conference and the sixth best team in the country, it shows you what the CAA’s all about.”

  While Scott admits he does not put a lot of stock in preseason polls, he also pointed out that the selection to finish sixth in the CAA has not gone unnoticed. “It’s been placed in a few places around the building,” he smiled. “I’m not sure how it got there, but it’s a tool. It’s something that our kids have to focus on and we don’t want to be the sixth best team at anything we do, the conference or the country.”

  Scott also like the fact that he is back in the FCS where virtually any team can make a run at the national championship regardless of poll position. “It’s great,” he said. “I’ve been able to be a part of both.

  “At our level, every year you get to decide,” he added. “At the end of the day you have to finish up and you have to be the guy that can win four games down the stretch to be a true national champion.”

  The Spiders kick off the season at U.Va., 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4.
Charlie Leffler/The Local

Former Lee-Davis standout Latrell Scott will make his head coaching debut this Saturday when he takes his Spiders to the University of Virginia.