Coveted 4-star CB Aaron Scott commits to Ohio State: 'I loved it from the beginning'

When he announced his commitment date last month, four-star Springfield (Ohio) cornerback Aaron Scott Jr. was down to three schools: Oregon, Ohio State and Michigan.

But behind the scenes over the past few weeks, it has been a two-team battle between the hated Big Ten rival Buckeyes and Wolverines.

Each program had its pros and cons, and ultimately Scott’s decision came down to the eleventh hour. But after more than a year being recruited heavily by both programs, he announced publicly for the Buckeyes on Sunday night.

“I have been to Ohio State six or seven times, and it is home,” he told On3. “Ever since the first time I visited, it was love at first sight. I loved it from the beginning; and my dad and my family loved it. It just felt right from the very beginning with Ohio State.”

Staying close to home means a lot

While his family, and especially his dad, are Buckeyes fans, Scott wanted to make this decision for himself. He gave a number of schools a long look, but especially the Wolverines and Ducks.

Ultimately though, playing for the home-state school won out.

“To be from Ohio and to go to Ohio State, it means a lot,” he said. “Kids are looking up to me, and so many of them want to play for their home-state school and keeping it in Ohio means something. Being from Ohio, Ohio State is in my blood. It is a brotherhood there, it is about family there and I get to stay home and play for great coaches.”

The Buckeyes already have a commitment from the No. 2 player in Ohio — Cleveland Glenville four-star cornerback Bryce West — and now they’ll keep each of the state top two players inside the borders.

“Bryce was big in this too,” Scott said. “The top two defensive backs in the state staying home, playing across from each other and he impacted my decision, too. We have talked about playing together, I was there when he committed and we can really do big things together.”

Scott believes in what Ohio State is doing

After being on campus more than a half-dozen times, Scott feels like he has a full understanding of what he can bring to the program in Columbus. He has spent time around coaches, recruits and current players, and the bond there is different than any other school he has been to.

“I love how the players act at Ohio State,” he added. “They are close and act like family. A lot of guys are from Ohio, and it is like a true brotherhood. It will be special to be part of something like that.”

Scott is also eager to join the Buckeyes’ recruiting class, which currently ranks No. 2 nationally, and continue to keep OSU as an annual championship contender.

“Ohio State is going to compete for a natty every year,” he said. “They are always one of the top teams and they have great coaches, great players and it will be great to be competing at a high level each year.

… Ohio State is known as WRU. Me and Bryce are ready to change that to DBU. They get top defensive backs, they develop them, and they get them to the NFL. I want to have people talking about the DBs the same way they talk about the receivers when I am there.”