Hardships are inevitable in life.
That’s one of the things that makes sports such a microcosm of the real world. Every person is going to experience times that are difficult, that seem unbearable, that feel impossible to push through.
It’s for that reason that Gee Scott Jr. felt he needed to ground himself in his faith and improve as a person holistically to become the best football player he could be.
“When you approach this game, there’s many hardships that you’re going to go through,” Scott said. “There’s difficulties you go through. Same with your day job, I’m sure there’s days you come in there and don’t want to (work) — things can be frustrating. When you’re in alignment with your soul and yourself, I think you just have a better understanding of — when those hard days come — ‘I’m going through this and I understand it’s for a bigger purpose.’”
Entering his fourth season at Ohio State, Scott will attempt to bring that well-roundedness to the tight end position as a backup for Cade Stover.
“He’s the best version of himself right now,” Ryan Day said Monday. “He’s practicing well, he’s out there. Cade’s the starter, Cade has been solid in there. He’s had a really good camp. He’s someone that’s very, very important to our offense. But Gee’s really shown that we can trust him in certain things.”
Scott’s realization that he needed to look internally for his growth didn’t come as a result of any specific event, he noted. It took some self-reflection to see that the spiritual side of his life was lacking and that he needed more from it to brave the burdens of his sporting life and beyond.
He lacked self-identity. He lacked foresight. Football came to be all that defined him, and his livelihood outside the game suffered.
“At one point in my life, my foundation was kind of built in sports and that’s who I was as a person,” Scott said. “So when you take that out and I’m no longer the football player I was built in, I’m left with no foundation. So I’m wishy-washy and I don’t know who I am. But this time around, I’ve built my foundation in my faith, in something that’s eternal and that’s never changing. And football is just a fruit of that.”
Thus, he started focusing on being in the best spiritual condition possible in addition to his mental and physical condition.
“It’s easy when you’re an athlete — you want to be in the best physical shape possible, or even learning these plays, you want to be in the best mental shape possible,” Scott said. “So you come in here every day and you pound it out. I think one thing that changed for me that was huge was taking a big step in my faith, and I think all three came together, became one.”
From the perspective of his coaches and teammates, that growth has yielded dividends on the field. Tight ends coach Keenan Bailey echoed the same encouraging sentiment that Day did, once again saying that Scott is the “best version of himself.”
“On the field, Gee is the best blocker he’s been. Gee’s the best route runner he’s been. Gee’s the strongest he’s been and the fastest he’s been,” Bailey said. “Then just maturity-wise, Gee Scott is a graduate of The Ohio State. How cool is that? Graduated a week ago, is one of our leaders. So off the field he’s checking all the boxes.”
"Gee is the best blocker he’s been. Gee’s the best route runner he’s been. Gee’s the strongest he’s been and the fastest he’s been.”– Keenan Bailey
Blocking has always been the side of Scott’s game that needed the most development, given he entered Ohio State as a wide receiver. A lauded one at that, he was the No. 66 overall prospect in the 2020 class and No. 10 wideout per the 247Sports composite.
While at first stating that no one area was tougher to develop as far as run versus pass blocking for Scott, Bailey said the Washington product’s tenacity made him a more natural run blocker.
“I think pass blocking might be more difficult because you can’t necessarily use your momentum,” Bailey said. “Gee’s a violent guy and if he can get his speed in the run game going, he can really build momentum. Pass blocking is more stagnant, so maybe pass blocking (is more difficult). Oftentimes you go up against defensive linemen and not linebackers.”
“I would say they go hand-in-hand,” Scott said. “It’s a lot of hand-to-hand combat down there and I think they’re both challenging. The tight end position, it’s just so complex. I think it’s so much more complex than people actually realize. The amount of jobs we do, the amount of emphasis we put on route running but also in the run game and pass blocking, it’s hard. There’s a lot of jobs to do and I think my job is just to become a better and more complete tight end.”
With the best form of himself putting its best foot forward, perhaps Scott can find a role in Ohio State’s offense for 2023. If nothing else, it’s a positive sign for the team’s tight end depth.
“Just all around, this is the best I’ve felt going into a camp, going into a season,” Scott said. “My heart feels good, my body feels good, my mind feels good and I’m ready to roll."
