“I would say learning the game more, learning concepts and just knowing what the offense is going to do before they do it,” Scott said Tuesday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. “I’ve been doing good. I feel like I’m very physical. I feel like my off-man (coverage technique) got way better. I’m just more attuned to what’s going on and understanding how the game goes.”
His progress has pleased his position coach, Tim Walton, but there is much work left to be done.
“He’s competing,” Walton said. “So he’s touching the ball. He’s closer to the ball, getting his hands on the ball, but he’s processing stuff better.”
Scott played in seven games last season and got in for 74 snaps on defense according to Pro Football Focus.
While former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles ran a defense regarded as intricate, Scott said new coordinator Matt Patricia has simplified things this spring, at least so far.
That leaves the players to focus more on themselves and jockeying to fill the three spots opened up by graduation from last year’s secondary.
Senior Davison Igbinosun returns as a starter at one cornerback spot while junior Jermaine Mathews Jr. is the favorite to replace Denzel Burke at the other.
“It’s very competitive,” Scott said “I’m telling IGB (Igbinosun), and we’re all telling each other, ‘I’m going to come take y’all spots. I’m going to come take y’all seats.’ And they let me know they’re not going to let me do that. So it’s all good.”
Mathews, who was the top reserve corner last season, is also in the mix at the Nickel position, which is a mix of safety and inside cornerback, so it remains to be seen how things shake out this fall.
“I don’t know what his role is going to be, but he’s been doing well this spring,” Walton said of Scott. “So he’s been competing. He’s been applying the game. His functional intelligence has been up. He has a passion for it. He plays with great effort, and things are coming along for him, and he’s playing with confidence. So all those things build, and then can we sustain it? Can we keep going?
“And the roles take care of themselves when you get closer to game time. It’s real early on that part now, because we’ve still got a few weeks of spring ball, and then we still have training camp.”
Redshirt freshman Bryce West and senior Lorenzo Styles Jr. are also vying for time, and Walton has been busy on the recruiting trail.
That includes bringing in five highly rated defensive back prospects in the class of 2025, including five-star cornerback Devin Sanchez.
“We talk about that all the time: We got to compete here,” Walton said. “We’re not shy of talking about it. There’s musical chairs. You got to compete, and he’s doing it, he’s embracing it and you can see it. You can see it in his play, and he has confidence and he’s doing a nice job.”
Ohio State began the penultimate week of spring football Monday.
It will conclude April 12 with the annual spring game at Ohio Stadium, though head coach Ryan Day has said the format of the day’s activities remains to be determined as the Buckeyes try to limit contact in the wake of playing four playoff games en route to winning the national championship.
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