3 takeaways from Justin Scott’s commitment to Ohio State football
A brutal loss for Michigan
According to what Justin Scott told Chad Simmons of On3.com, this recruitment came down to Michigan and Ohio State. Michigan was even poised for a commitment at one point.
The Wolverines were in the lead, at least among his parents going into the Ohio State visit. Yet, Larry Johnson, the legendary D-line coach for the Buckeyes was able to seal the deal, according to what Scott told Fawcett.
It was a close battle between Michigan & Ohio State leading up to Scott’s commitment to the Buckeyes
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 3, 2023
The 5-star DL texted me while on his OV to Michigan that he’d be committing July 2nd (today)
At first it was Michigan for he & his family but that changed:
“Going into the… pic.twitter.com/mVkX3qGiLM
There was a ton of optimism in Michigan circles last week about Scott, so it was a surprise and a gut punch for Michigan fans to see Scott commit to Ohio State.
Miami was the perceived favorite. Plus Notre Dame football was strongly in the mix, even though the Irish didn’t host Scott for an official visit as Ohio State, Michigan, and Miami did.
Michigan’s 2024 class is much better than 2023. It’s likely going to be a top-10 haul, but the Wolverines have zero composite five-star commitments. Ohio State as four.
And after two straight wins over Ohio State, you wonder if Michigan will ever be able to out-recruit Ohio State, especially with a non-existent NIL program. The Wolverines don’t believe in pay-for-play and I get it — that’s against the rules.
But five-star prospects want NIL and that has to be part of the reason the Wolverines haven’t landed a composite five-star since the 2022 class.