Cornerbacks Bryce West and Aaron Scott Jr. made no secret about their desire to play alongside each other at the collegiate level.
Throughout their recruiting process, both of them continuously publicly praised the other. The pair became close friends as both ascended to top-ranked recruits in the state of Ohio for the 2024 recruiting class. Both committed to Ohio State in the same summer, though Scott’s commitment had a little more flair attached considering he used a smoke machine to trick Michigan fans.
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
Year One for both players has come and gone, though the excitement of playing with the other hasn’t waned.
“It’s always good because in practice, he’s on the opposite side of me, so every time we make a play, we huddle up together and celebrate the other’s success,” West told Eleven Warriors before the Rose Bowl. “We watch film together. We do everything together. That’s my guy. It’s good to compete with him, we don’t let the other slack and help each other out when we make a mistake, it’s no issue for us.”
Scott and West are sometimes practically attached to the hip together at practice, with each reminding the other of the goals they set for themselves.
“We just tell each other we have to keep going,” Scott said. “We both know we’re trying to be the two players from Ohio and keep standing on everything we were saying we were going to do. We feed off each other, we’re both trying to compete but we both know we’re in it together.”
West and Scott spent their freshman seasons primarily in reserve roles for the Buckeyes at cornerback, but both occasionally saw the field when Ohio State built large leads over opponents. Scott played in seven games and recorded two tackles and one pass breakup, while West appeared in seven contests for OSU, making one tackle and one pass breakup.
“I’ve improved a lot on my off-man coverage,” Scott said of the biggest takeaway for him in Year One. “I feel like I got more patient. I didn’t play a lot of off-man in high school, but I’m doing that now, so that’s the main thing I feel like I needed to work on.
West also played in seven contests, including on special teams. The highlight of his first year came in Ohio State’s College Football Playoff victory against Tennessee as he made a pass breakup late in the contest, something he said he wasn’t expecting to get a chance to do considering his role on the team and the stakes surrounding the game.
“The transition to college has been fun because you get around a lot of the older guys, you get around real experienced coaches, everybody puts you in the best position to be mentally ready when you get out on the field, practice, games, and just be able to be out there comfortable when you know everything,” West said of his year. “You know your assignments, get around the older guys, they teach you a lot, so they teach you skills that you can just take into everyday life on the field.”
In their first year on campus, secondary coach Tim Walton simply wanted to see the two continue to improve consistently and apply it to future seasons. Following their first year on campus, Walton is pleased with where both players are in their journey.
“Great development, I can see the progress in both of those young men,” Walton said in January regarding West and Scott’s first year at Ohio State. “Two of the top players in the country, the top from Ohio when they came out in their recruiting class. We’re looking for big things from them going forward. They fit the culture, we look at the good skill set and they’re both competitive. We’ve got a good list of young guys we’re building and they’re at the forefront of that group.”
Both defensive backs have big offseasons ahead. West wants to get faster and stronger this offseason, improve his ability to play the ball while in the air and understand man and zone coverages on a deeper level. Scott wants to master his knowledge of specific coverages and eventually find a path toward increased playing time.
With Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock departing, more snaps are available at cornerback for next season, but Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Mathews Jr. are likely starters for the Buckeyes in 2025. Scott and West will compete for snaps with incoming freshman Devin Sanchez, Lorenzo Styles Jr. and others.
