5-star DL Justin Scott flips commitment from Ohio State to Miami: 'They were always up there for me'

When five-star Chicago (Ill.) St. Ignatius defensive lineman Justin Scott committed to Ohio State this summer, Miami was right there with the Buckeyes.

Scott loved a lot of things about Coral Gables, but the opportunity to be closer to home was too much to pass up at the time. From then on, his communication with the ‘Canes was virtually non-existent. But the more he thought about where he wanted to live for the next three to four years, Miami kept coming back to his mind.

Communication resumed a few weeks ago, and he let the Hurricanes coaching staff know on Monday that he was committed to them. On Wednesday, he made the flip official and announced it publicly.

“Miami never went away,” he told On3. “Even after I committed to Ohio State, Miami stayed in the back of my mind. I started talking to the Miami coaches again a couple of weeks ago, and after having a talk with my mom, I made the decision to flip to Miami. I have known for about a week. Once I had that talk with my mom to let her know how I felt and found out she was OK with my decision, then I knew.”

Scott reconnected with defensive line coach Joe Salave’a

At one point during the spring and summer, the Hurricanes were considered the favorite to land him. When he committed though, it came down to Michigan and Ohio State, with the Buckeyes winning out. But his strongest connections were in Miami with Mario Cristobal and Joe Salave’a.

“I reached out to Coach Salave’a about two weeks ago to let him know I wasn’t 100 percent with my commitment to Ohio State,” he added. “I was having second thoughts and things happened kind of quickly from there. There weren’t too surprised when I told them because they always felt I wanted to be at Miami.

… My biggest attraction to Miami was the coaches — how genuine they are, how they always treated me and they make me feel like part of their family.”

The atmosphere in Miami and opportunities excite him

Scott is also looking forward to playing in a place that he can see himself living. The more he thought about it, the more he envisioned himself in Coral Gables.

“I have been down there three times and I always loved it,” he said. “It always felt like family, and it is a place I wanted to stay each time I visited because of how I felt around the staff. And they have shown that young guys have great opportunities to make big impacts. Coach Mario Cristobal plays young players, and that stands out to me because I will go in and have a chance to make an early impact.”

Scott is planning to sign with the Hurricanes in February, and as someone who isn’t enrolling early, that’s been his plan all along. He’s now done with the recruiting process, and is looking forward to making it down to Coral Gables in the next few months for another visit.

“This is it for me,” he said. “I was never planning to change my commitment, so now that I have, I am done. I am going to Miami.”