Scott Talks About IU Commitment

Bloomington – Indiana football’s newest football commit is putting in some long hours this summer. While 6’3”, 235-pound New Albany (Ohio) standout Harrison Scott is certainly focused on putting together a big senior season, it’s not the football field where...

Bloomington – Indiana football’s newest football commit is putting in some long hours this summer.

While 6’3”, 250-pound New Albany (Ohio) standout Harrison Scott is certainly focused on putting together a big senior season, it’s not the football field where he’s been spending his time as of late. Instead, his days have been instead been spent at a local nursing home. That’s where the future Hoosier is doing a summer internship, putting in a full days work with the residents.

“I’m looking into physical therapy, and have been working with patients there,” Scott said.

Scott’s internship ends Friday, and that’s when he’ll turn his attention to putting up even bigger numbers than he did a year ago when he totaled 99 tackles and five sacks to earn second-team All-District honors and help his team to a 6-4 record. He won’t have to be thinking about recruiting since he brought that to an end Sunday when he committed to Coach Bill Lynch’s program.

Scott was in Bloomington on June 7 to participate in a one-day camp and was awarded a scholarship offer soon afterwards. That led to a trip to town this past weekend, and Scott came away impressed with everything that IU had to offer.

“We got to see campus in full and we really liked it,” Scott said. “We sat down with my recruiting coach, Coach (Brian) George, and it was the right fit.”

Scott also had scholarship offers from Miami (Ohio), Akron, Kent State and Air Force, but he said that once Indiana offered it was clearly his best option.

“The No. 1 thing is academics, and No. 2 would be the coaching staff – they’re great. They showed me a lot of love during the process,” Scott said. “No. 3 would be the level of competition I will be a part of in the Big Ten, and No.4 was the city of Bloomington, which seems like a great place to spend the next four years”

What stood out to Indiana about Scott was not only his productivity on the field and his workouts at the one-day camp, but also his versatility. While he’s projected by most as a defensive end, he also plays defensive tackle and tight end on his high school team.

“It’s really up to them where I end up,” Scott said. “I’m versatile enough to play D-tackle of D-end, and they said depending on my senior year and how I am when I report I could be at either one. I’m open to playing either one.”

Defensive end is a position that Indiana figures to have a big need in the fall of 2010. The Hoosiers will lose both Greg Middleton and Jammie Kirlew to graduation, creating an opportunity to someone to step in and challenge for playing time right away.

But that wasn’t the reason Scott chose the Hoosiers, instead focusing on the opportunities he’d have in the classroom and the opportunity he’d have to work with the IU coaching staff. In his mind, the playing time issue will take care of itself.

“Playing time wasn’t a big factor in my mind because I know I just have to go in there and work my hardest,” Scott said.