Prospect Profile and Evaluation: Elite Defensive Lineman Justin Scott
The Miami Hurricanes 2024 recruiting class would not only be bolstered by the addition of Justin Scott, it would also be filling a major need.
With the 2023 recruiting class, the Canes signed only one defensive tackle, Joshua Horton. While he will probably enroll with the size to play early at roughly 6-foot-4 and close to 300 pounds, he’s still only one player.
That's why the Canes need at least two, if not three, defensive tackles for the class of 2024. That’s also where Scott can help Miami in multiple ways, and he’s slated to officially visit the Hurricanes on June 16.
Size: 6-foot-4, 310 pounds
Positions: Defensive Tackle and Defensive End
High School: Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius
Recruitment
His offer list has been a who’s who list of college football programs. Among his offers, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State, and Notre Dame have been the most often discussed schools with Scott.
He’s also been extended offers from Michigan, Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma and Southern California among others. That’s a rare list for a player from Chicago.
Per Rivals, he's listed as the No. 8 player and best defensive lineman in the country.
Frame
Already at an NFL level. He’s filled out and ready to roll. He’s not a big kid that completely needs to reshape his body either. Scott’s frame will need some refinement from a college weight program, but that’s going to be more about conditioning than anything else.
He’s a legit first-year college defensive tackle that can compete for immediate playing time based on how he’s built.
Athleticism
Most noticeably, Scott changed directions well. Even while engaged with an offensive lineman, that happened often. Scott’s ability to run in space was surprising as well.
Keep in mind, he was 310 pounds last season. It’s unusual to see such a big man attempt to fake out an offensive lineman during a pass rush, but Scott did so several times on film.
Finally, he showcased lateral speed, i.e. plant his foot and immediately change direction to follow the football without needing to reset his feet. That’s even more rare for a player of Scott’s size. That was a sign of excellent balance.
Versatility
Depending on the scheme being implemented, Scott can play in a 3-man line or 4-man line. Because of his athleticism, it did not matter if he was playing defensive tackle or playing nose guard either. Further, he can play defensive end within a 3-man scheme, or a 4i technique as it's commonly called.
Watching him at different positions and still seeing him in the backfield, that’s when it became clear that Scott was a truly special prospect. For example, he would commonly cross an offensive lineman’s face and take the inside gap with quickness (again, at 310 pounds).
Not that he will do the following at the college level, but it was fun to watch: Scott lined up at outside linebacker, standing at an angle towards the quarterback, and rushed off the edge.
With his position flexibility, Scott can help a depth chart in multiple ways. That's a big bonus for the lucky program that signs this young man.
Technique
Needs to work on extending his arms quicker to maximize power. Also needs to continue to learn more and more pass rush moves. For a high school defensive lineman, it’s typically been the norm with to need improvement within those areas.
When Scott did showcase his quick hands like he should, he most often quickly discarded the offensive lineman with a rip move, hand swipe, etc. It looked effortless at times.
He also had a fantastic play with a one-arm stab move that jolted the offensive guard and created a tackle for loss.
Scott’s best efforts often took place when he used a combination of power with quick hands to the chest of the offensive lineman in front of him. Scott was too much to handle within those situations, and it was almost unfair at the high school level.
That led to the obvious question, just how strong was this young man as a junior?
Power
When a defensive lineman fails to extend his arms properly and still completely manhandles a 280-plus pound offensive lineman, that’s a strong human being. Scott did that consistently.
Just natural bull-strength. Once he has learned how to harness that power via more moves and the timing to go with them, it will be fun to watch Scott catch an offensive lineman off guard with a simple bull rush from time to time.
That’s when an opposing player can literally end up on his rear end and Scott moving on to make a play in the backfield.
In summary, Scott has elite natural size and ability. He’s a rare first-year impact defensive tackle that can also play end. With all of his talent, it’s no surprise that college football programs from across the country have made a concerted effort to recruit him.
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