The Tennessee Volunteers have been aggressive in recruiting defensive backs over the past few recruiting cycles. Thursday, four-star cornerback for the class of 2024 Aaron Scott Jr. narrowed his school choices to five, including Tennessee along with several other prominent powers.
Scott is a native of Ohio, and it will be difficult for Tennessee to lure him away from his home state. However, his talent makes their time worthwhile.
Scott is a man-to-man cornerback who specializes at putting pressure on wideouts at the line of scrimmage. Over the past few years, the coaching staff at Springfield High School has felt confident leaving him in one-on-one situations, and his track record supports their confidence.
2024 four-star corner Aaron Scott Jr. ranked the Tennessee Volunteers in his top five and suits their defense nicely.
Effectively engaging the receiver from the play, he punches the receiver’s shoulder padding to create a natural leverage advantage. Scott then moves his body into their frame, forcing receivers to the sideline and making quarterbacks’ passes difficult.
A deep pass outside the numbers is one of the worst offensive strategies. Typically, defenses must shade a safety toward an X-receiver in order to eliminate action over the top, but Scott’s natural hands and technique enable him to manage it himself.
He measures in at 5-11.5 and 165 pounds, a size discrepancy against most Power-5 wideouts. Nevertheless, Tennessee can handle this. Few “specimens” will be able to defeat Scott with their characteristics downfield, so offenses must attack from below.
Scott extends offensive possessions by merely being on the field; the more opportunities an offense has, the more likely it is to commit an error. The greatest issue for Tennessee was allowing explosive plays; the addition of Scott helps eradicate those.