What’s next for Aaron Scott Jr. at Ohio State? ‘We expect big things from him’

“It feels great!” the Springfield High School graduate said as he roamed the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a fresh national championship hat already on his head Jan. 20. “Couldn’t have wanted my freshman season go any other way.”

Scott did not get into the title game, but he recalled what it was like in position group meetings as the Fighting Irish mounted a comeback in the second half.

Down 31-7, Notre Dame pulled to within eight points on Jaden Greathouse’s 30-yard touchdown reception and a two-point conversion with 4:15 left in the fourth quarter.

That was Greathouse’s second explosive touchdown reception of the second half and part of a surprising outburst by the Notre Dame passing game.

Although the Ohio State secondary was under fire, Scott said no one lost their cool.

“I felt like my team was gonna hold it down,” Scott said. “Everybody just stayed calm. Don’t attack nobody that had a play made on ‘em. Really just staying calm and coming together and knowing we’ve still got more game. It’s not over until it says :00.”

A five-star prospect, Scott was the No. 1-ranked recruit in Ohio in 247Sports Composite rankings for the class of 2024.

He faced a steep hill to get meaningful playing time, though, with starters Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun returning along with nickel back Jordan Hancock and top reserve Jermaine Mathews Jr.

Scott earned praise from teammates prior to the season and ended up seeing action in seven games and played 74 snaps on defense according to Pro Football Focus.

He had a season-high of 15 snaps against Purdue and saw 12 in the College Football Playoff, all against Tennessee.

“I feel like it’s all good,” Scott said before the game during Ohio State’s National Championship Game Media Day. “Everybody thinks they’re gonna come in and play their first year. Definitely didn’t go that way for me, but I’ve been learning a lot and I’m ready for my turn.”

Secondary coach Tim Walton, who won a fierce recruiting battle for Scott that also included Michigan and Oregon as finalists, said before the game he was pleased with Scott’s progress.

“The thing I love about Aaron, first of all, he’s a great young man,” said Walton, who was an Ohio State cornerback himself in the early 1990s. “Second of all, he’s competitive. He loves to compete. So you got to have some some qualities to make it. He’s a hard worker, so he doesn’t run from challenges. He’ll compete. Now he’s just gotta keep learning the game.”

The 6-foot Scott said he was able to add muscle to his frame and weighed 187 or 188 at the end of the season.

He also soaked up all the knowledge he could from the veterans during his first fall as a college football player, and working against Ohio State’s plethora of star receivers helped him improve.

That includes classmate Jeremiah Smith, the No. 1-rated recruit in the country who became one of the best receivers in college football almost as soon as he took the field.

“It’s been good,” Scott said. “Definitely different from high school. I’ve been able to learn a lot from (the other freshmen) and they’ve probably learned a lot from me. They say iron sharpens iron, and I really believe in that.”

Although Ohio State will have many new starters next season, cornerback is among the few spots that has more experience returning because Igbinosun opted not to enter the NFL Draft, and Mathews still has two years of eligibility left.

Even if he doesn’t overtake one of the veterans, Scott could be part of a rotation or the next man up in the case of injury, as was the case for Mathews as a sophomore this year.

“I definitely think I’m in good position to be able to come in freshman year and win the natty then be able to do it again my second year,” Scott said. “That’s what everybody wants.”

He also has a believer in Walton.

“He has a big upside because he has an innate feel for the game,” Walton said. “He has great football instincts, so we look forward to big things from him.”