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Early Signing Day: Sleeper defensive lineman Arthur Scott signs with the Wisconsin Badgers

A closer look at Streetsboro (OH) HS defensive lineman Arthur Scott, who committed to the Wisconsin Badgers in June 2025.
Benjamin Worgull|
Streetsboro defensive lineman Arthur Scott III closes in on Northwest quarterback Chase Badger during a second-round playoff game Friday, Nov. 8, 2024.
Streetsboro defensive lineman Arthur Scott III closes in on Northwest quarterback Chase Badger during a second-round playoff game Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. | Nicholas McLaughlin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

MADISON, Wis. – Landing an elite defensive lineman is no easy task, considering how every major college program needs them to thrive and how sought after the top one percent of those players are. Finding an elite defensive lineman who flies under the radar is another challenge in its own right. Wisconsin defensive line coach E.J. Whitlow hopes the latter is the case of Arthur Scott.

Wisconsin was in on Scott early in the spring, had the 6-3, 310-pound prospect on campus, and stayed after him until getting his verbal commitment. While not highly recruited nationally, the Badgers are banking on Scott continuing to make the kind of gigantic leaps in the UW program like the ones he's made in high school.

We take a closer look at Scott and how his addition improves the program.

The Bio

Hometown: Streetsboro, OH
High School: Streetsboro
Position: Defensive Line
Star Rating (via 247sports composite): Three stars, rated No.139 defensive line and No.1307 overall
Commitment date: June 1, 2025

Stats

  • Made 53 tackles, 17 TFLs and 5.5 sacks as a senior, earning conference defensive lineman of the year and district defensive player of the year
  • Posted 80 tackles as a junior in 2024, posting 26.5 TFLs and 5.5 sacks, as he was named first-team all-state and district defensive player of the year
  • Made 56 tackles as a sophomore, including 10 TFLs and 4.0 sacks

Recruiting Competition

Scott picked Wisconsin over power-conference scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Iowa State, Michigan State, Rutgers, and West Virginia. He held several offers from MAC schools, as well.

On Wisconsin

"You could just tell (Coach Whitlow) believed in me. He really longed for me to come to Wisconsin. He was dedicated to getting me to Wisconsin. I heard I was their number one defensive lineman. A lot of people on the coaching staff called me and said coach Whitlow talks about me every day.
"He never dragged his feet. It was all transparent. That relationship made me want to really pull the trigger."
- Scott to 247sports

Scouting Report via 247sports' Jon McNamara

Listed at 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds, Scott is stout but does appear to bring some length and athleticism to the table. With that, he should provide some versatility for Whitlow and company. On top of that, you love the high school production of 80 total tackles during his junior season, though his role at Wisconsin will be a little different.

Credit Whitlow for being right there when recruiting got going this spring for Scott. That April trip proved to be crucial, and the official sealed the deal for the Badgers this weekend ahead of his other scheduled trips.

Our take

Wisconsin missed out on several of its defensive line targets in the spring, so landing a player of Scott's size and physicality was important. However, what earned Scott his offer was the way he moved in space and his quick feet. Any defensive lineman who can record 80 tackles in a defensive scheme is doing something right, and Scott is a player who can line up as a five technique or move into a three technique and be disruptive. He calls himself a "door buster" and rightfully so with his size and ability at the high school level, absorbing blocks up front and battling his way into the backfield.

Wisconsin restocked its defensive front in the transfer portal for the 2025 season with upperclassmen, but that can’t be the formula every season. Getting a developmental player like Scott into the program is exactly what the Badgers needed in this class.

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Benjamin Worgull
BENJAMIN WORGULL

Benjamin Worgull has covered Wisconsin men's basketball since 2004, having previously written for Rivals, USA Today, 247sports, Fox Sports, the Associated Press, the Janesville Gazette, and the Wisconsin State Journal.

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