Gee Scott Jr.’s decision to become a tight end started with a suggestion from an NFL cornerback.
Richard Sherman, who has a close relationship with Scott and his father dating back to his years with the Seattle Seahawks, told them he thought Scott could have a bright future playing tight end at the next level. Scott, meanwhile, had been struggling to keep his weight under 215 pounds, where Ohio State wanted him to be as a wide receiver. So after giving Sherman’s suggestion a couple nights of thought, Scott decided to bring the idea to Ohio State’s coaching staff.
Ohio State offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Kevin Wilson had believed Scott had the potential to grow into a tight end since recruiting him in high school, but Scott still had to demonstrate to Ohio State’s coaches that he was serious about changing positions.
However, you only need to spend a few minutes talking to Scott to recognize his decision to play tight end is one he’s fully invested in.
“I don’t know if they took it seriously too much in the very beginning,” Scott said Friday. “I don’t know if they knew if I was actually serious about it or it was kind of just a thought. But I see an opportunity for myself and somewhere where I could grow, and I think my ceiling as a tight end is a lot higher than my ceiling as a receiver and so, I think if I continue this path, there’s good things in store.”
Switching from wide receiver to tight end, especially at Ohio State, could be viewed as an unsexy move. While Ohio State’s wide receiver room is currently viewed as the best in the country, the Buckeyes have a reputation for rarely throwing the ball to their tight ends. You don’t have to look too hard to find skeptics on social media – many of whom are Washington fans – who think Scott would be better off playing wide receiver elsewhere than playing tight end at Ohio State.
But Scott’s move to tight end wasn’t made just because of how deep Ohio State is at wide receiver, nor was it pushed on him by the Buckeyes’ coaches. His chances of seeing playing time over the next couple of seasons certainly could be better at tight end than they would have been at wide receiver, as Jeremy Ruckert is currently Ohio State’s only proven tight end and entering his senior season. But Scott is also thinking about how a move to tight end now could set him up for NFL success later.
The tight end position in the NFL has increasingly trended toward more athletic players with wideout skills rather than bigger, more traditional in-line blockers. Scott has seen the rise of players like former Florida star Kyle Pitts, who became the highest-drafted tight end ever when he was selected with the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft, and he believes he can follow in their footsteps.
“If I was here to think small picture, I’d be like ‘Why in the world would I want to be a tight end? Why would I want to play tight end at The Ohio State?’” Scott said. “I’m looking at the big picture and who I can be in the future.”
Playing tight end at Ohio State usually means blocking far more often than catching passes, but Scott doesn’t mind that. He’s actually really enjoying it.
“My first time going in to block somebody, I’m like, ‘Wow, I love this, man,’” Scott said. “I don’t know if me and tight end are still in the honeymoon stage, but I think I started liking it more than receiver. I get the physical side of the game, I love that, and then I also get to be a route-runner. So I enjoy it a lot.”
That said, Scott isn’t resigning himself to the notion that moving to tight end means he won’t catch many passes at Ohio State. Asked whether he thinks he can bring a new dimension to the tight end position for the Buckeyes, Scott’s reply was affirmative: “Absolutely.”
“I hear a lot of people say that the tight end position here doesn’t really get the ball too much. But my answer to that is why not?” Scott said. “Why can’t that change? And why can’t we install different things into the offense to make that be different?
“I want to continue to cause mismatches for the defense, and that’s my plan.”
Gee Scott Jr. believes he has elite potential at tight end, and he's putting in the work to try to make that happen.
While Scott is a bit shorter than the prototypical tight end at 6-foot-3, he’s up to 228 pounds and expects to play at a little more than 230 pounds. That’s still light in comparison to most of Ohio State’s other tight ends, like Ruckert (6-5, 250) and Cade Stover (6-4, 255), but Wilson says Scott has more than enough strength and toughness to play the position.
“If we put a bench down and he started benching, he’ll be maybe the strongest tight end we’ve got,” Wilson said.
Ruckert has been impressed by what he’s seen from Scott this offseason, too, saying Scott is “coming along really well” and showing he’s a capable blocker.
“It's a tough transition, but I think he's the perfect guy for it. His approach to the change is outstanding, he wants to be great at it,” Ruckert said. “He fits the mold of what he has to be to be a tight end here. I think the biggest thing is the mental aspect and the want-to.”
“I don’t know if me and tight end are still in the honeymoon stage, but I think I started liking it more than receiver.”– Gee Scott Jr. on his position change
How much Scott will play this year remains uncertain, given how new he is to playing tight end. Stover seems like the frontrunner to be the No. 2 tight end behind Ruckert, while Joe Royer, Mitch Rossi and Sam Hart are also vying for snaps at the position.
Given his athleticism and ability to run routes and make plays on the ball, though, Scott has the upside to eventually emerge as a major weapon for the Buckeyes. And he understands that isn’t going to happen overnight.
“I’m here to put the dirty, hard work in, chop wood and carry water, and I’m here to just live another day and just keep going,” Scott said. “Just day by day get better.”
In due time, Scott believes he can be an elite tight end both for Ohio State and in the NFL. But he knows he still has a long way to go to get to that point, and he’s trying to learn from everyone around him – from his connections in the NFL like Sherman and Larry Fitzgerald to Ohio State’s other tight ends – to become the best player he can be.
“I think I definitely take parts of everybody’s game in the tight end room and I apply it to myself,” Scott said. “I’m taking Jeremy’s route-running ability, Cade Stover’s blocking ability, I’m taking all of these different pieces and I’m trying to apply it to my own game coming in as a new guy. And all of this going toward being the best player I can be.
“I’m here to just take advantage of every opportunity that I get and be the best Buckeye possible.”
