It appears the best in Ohio stay in Ohio after all.
Ohio State landed one of its most important targets in the 2024 class when four-star Springfield cornerback Aaron Scott committed to the Buckeyes over Michigan and Oregon on Sunday.
Aaron Scott had one of the more entertaining Ohio State commitment announcements I can remember, complete with smoke effects and faking out the room he was going to Michigan. pic.twitter.com/Xdg4jRKRnd
— Garrick Hodge (@Garrick_Hodge) July 30, 2023
For months, Michigan and Ohio State were neck-and-neck in the race to land the Ohio standout.
“They talk about each other all the time,” Scott said on May 7 of Michigan and Ohio State's recruiting efforts. “Talking about they don't want me to go there. They’re definitely competitive and preach on going to their schools.”
In the end, the fifth-ranked cornerback in the 2024 class opted to stay home, giving Ohio State a massive recruiting win over its archrival.
Despite Scott insisting he grew up an Oregon Ducks fan, his family mostly consists of Ohio State fans, and he'll be donning the scarlet and gray next season after he committed to Ohio State on Sunday, his father's birthday.
“That’s my family’s favorite school,” Scott told Eleven Warriors last May. “They all grew up watching Ohio State.”
The Scott File
- Class: 2024
- Size: 6-0/170
- Pos: CB
- School: Springfield (Springfield, OH)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: #52 (#5 CB)
Scott earned his offer from Ohio State in June 2022 after impressing Ryan Day and Tim Walton with his toughness and athleticism. His family was nothing short of ecstatic.
“I grew up watching them, my family grew up watching them. (His father) was in a meeting when he heard about (the offer), he jumped up and got very excited,” Scott said after receiving the offer. “We’ve just been talking about this for some time getting offered and now it’s finally here. I’m just blessed.”
Scott earned his offer from Ohio State partly because of his toughness, as he decided to camp with the Buckeyes anyway even though he was dealing with a hand injury at the time.
“Coach Day told me he liked my competitiveness,” Scott said after receiving the offer. “He told me he wanted to grow our relationship and that he liked how fast and athletic I am. I could have just came to camp and watched, but I decided to do one-on-ones anyway (despite the injury) and they told me they loved how competitive I am.”
Fourteen months later, Scott is now the 19th member of Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class. He’s the third cornerback in the class for the Buckeyes, joining fellow in-state prospect Bryce West and Arizona product Miles Lockhart. He's the eighth player from Ohio to join the Buckeyes’ 2024 class along with West, Damarion Witten, Garrett Stover, Marc Nave, Devontae and Deontae Armstrong and Sam Williams-Dixon. He's the seventh defensive player in the class along with West, Stover, Justin Scott, Lockhart, Payton Pierce and Jaylen McClain.
BIA! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/m7KJv04o3E
— Aaron Scott JR (@AaronScottJr1) July 31, 2023
OSU's current commits were an integral part of the Buckeyes landing Scott, as they'd consistently contact him and let him know they wanted him at OSU.
“I hear from them every day,” Scott said. “Every time there’s a commit, they all come hit my line, the whole team they be hitting up.”
Scott is ranked as the No. 52 overall player and fifth-best cornerback in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2024 class. Ohio State now has commitments from two of the class’ top-five cornerbacks with West and Scott both set to be Buckeyes.
The commitment from Scott comes after he visited Ohio State numerous times over the past year, making the trek to Columbus for OSU’s season-opening win against Notre Dame and regular-season finale against Michigan. He was among Ohio State’s official visitors during the final weekend of June.
Ohio State fans now get to dream about a potential future secondary anchored by Scott and West, a Glenville product. Scott has openly said in the past he'd love to play with West at the next level.
“We talk here and there, almost like every other day, for real. Just asking questions and stuff,” Scott said of West in early May. “But we definitely want to play with each other in college.”
With three cornerbacks committed to the 2024 class, Ohio State could still potentially take a fourth player at the position if it can land another premier prospect. The Buckeyes’ top remaining cornerback target is five-star Texas product Kobe Black, the third-ranked cornerback in the class and the only one of the top 11 cornerbacks in the cycle that remains uncommitted.
In addition to Michigan and Oregon, Ohio State bested the likes of Boston College, Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and West Virginia to land Scott’s commitment.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | JEREMIAH SMITH | ★★★★★ | #2 NATL | #1 WR | 6-3 | 198 | Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Opa Locka, Florida) |
| DT | JUSTIN SCOTT | ★★★★★ | #14 NATL | #3 DL | 6-4 | 310 | St. Ignatius (Chicago, Illinois) |
| WR | MYLAN GRAHAM | ★★★★★ | #18 NATL | #6 WR | 6-1 | 170 | New Haven (New Haven, Indiana) |
| QB | AIR NOLAND | ★★★★★ | #33 NATL | #4 QB | 6-3 | 195 | Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Georgia) |
| CB | BRYCE WEST | ★★★★ | #46 NATL | #4 CB | 5-11 | 177 | Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| CB | AARON SCOTT | ★★★★ | #52 NATL | #5 CB | 6-0| 170 | Springfield (Springfield, Ohio) |
| RB | JAMES PEOPLES | ★★★★ | #85 NATL | #7 RB | 5-10 | 192 | Veterans Memorial (San Antonio, Texas) |
| OT | IAN MOORE | ★★★★ | #126 NATL | #8 IOL | 6-5 | 295 | New Palestine (New Palestine, Indiana) |
| LB | GARRETT STOVER | ★★★★ | #147 NATL | #11 LB | 6-0 | 195 | Big Walnut (Sunbury, OH) |
| RB | JORDAN LYLE | ★★★★ | #169 NATL | #12 RB | 6-0 | 180 | St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Laderdale, Florida) |
| LB | PAYTON PIERCE | ★★★★ | #170 NATL | #16 LB | 6-1 | 225 | Lovejoy (Lucas, Texas) |
| S | JAYLEN McCLAIN | ★★★★ | #261 NATL | #23 S | 6-0 | 185 | Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, New Jersey) |
| TE | MAX LEBLANC | ★★★★ | #268 NATL | #14 TE | 6-4 | 222 | Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tennessee) |
| CB | MILES LOCKHART | ★★★★ | #348 NATL | #27 CB | 5-10 | 185 | Basha (Chandler, AZ) |
| TE | DAMARION WITTEN | ★★★★ | #351 NATL | #18 TE | 6-4 | 215 | Glenville (Cleveland, OH) |
| OT | DEONTAE ARMSTRONG | ★★★★ | #416 NATL | #32 OT | 6-6 | 280 | St. Edward (Lakewood, OH) |
| OL | DEVONTAE ARMSTRONG | ★★★ | #448 NATL | #26 IOL | 6-5 | 297 | St. Edward (Lakewood, OH) |
| OL | MARC NAVE | ★★★ | #603 NATL | #40 IOL | 6-5 | 315 | Central Catholic (Toledo, OH) |
| RB | SAM WILLIAMS-DIXON | ★★★ | #745 NATL | #78 ATH | 5-11 | 203 | Pickerington North (Columbus, OH) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports | |||||
Scott brings physicality to cornerback room in Columbus
A physical cornerback, Scott had an excellent junior season for Springfield, racking up 21 tackles (three for loss), five interceptions, seven pass deflections and one fumble recovery.
“I got to talk to (Tim Walton) about what he liked about me," Scott said recalling a spring visit. "He said going to Ohio State won’t just make you better at football, it’ll prepare you for later in life. (Walton said he liked) my IQ on the field and knowing where the ball is at, and also how long I am and my speed and aggressiveness. He said he loves how aggressive I play.”
As evidenced by his five interceptions a season ago, Scott has a knack for finding the ball, disrupting passes and creating havoc in passing lanes for opposing offenses. With his length, Scott can throw wideouts off their routes with his physicality.
Scott has played in multiple defensive coverages in Springfield's defense and shows great situational awareness on the field. His instincts can take over a game and result in a game-changing play for the defense. He's also competed in track and shows the explosiveness needed to thrive at the collegiate level. He may need a year or two to acclimate to the college game and build strength, but Scott profiles as someone that could be a multi-year starter for Ohio State.
