What Ohio State transfer Aaron Scott Jr. brings to Oregon's defense
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
A young secondary with plenty to prove managed to carry the Oregon Ducks all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinal last season. The Ducks appeared to find a pair of budding stars at cornerback in both Brandon Finney Jr. and Ify Obidegwu, and the defense is certainly hoping the rest of the room continues to take strides this season.
That said, the Ducks still needed to backfill some holes in the secondary through the transfer portal. After losing important contributors like Dillon Thieneman, Jadon Canady and Theran Johnson to the upcoming NFL Draft, new defensive coordinator Chris Hampton made a push to acquire more talent in the portal.
Enter Aaron Scott Jr., one of three defensive backs the Ducks signed from the portal this offseason. The 6-foot corner from Ohio State was coveted by the Ducks as a five-star recruit coming out of high school in 2024, and now Hampton will get to see what Scott Jr. brings to the table this spring.
Scott Jr. was the No. 36 overall player in the 2024 class, but most of his playing time in Columbus came on special teams. In two seasons with the Buckeyes, he appeared in 19 games and collected 11 tackles, one for a loss, and two pass deflections.
“He was a great special teams player at Ohio State,” Hampton said in an exclusive interview with the Bleav in Oregon Podcast. “Did a great job in kickoff and punt, played a little bit on defense, but I think it was he was looking for a fresh start. This is a place that he visited out of high school, and I think that he’s come in with the right mindset, similar to Koi [Perich]. He’s working extremely hard.”
Even though the Ducks couldn’t land Scott Jr. in his initial recruitment, the coaching staff didn’t waver in its approach to him a second time around.
“The message really didn’t change,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said at his first media availability of the spring. “For Aaron, we pointed out some of the same things. I think, again, the more you build over time, you get to really point to the past and say that’s an indicator of the future. There are some things that we’ve been able to do with guys in the secondary here in the past that really point to the future and what that’s going to look like. It involves having players like Aaron that can come compete. He’s a really good player, had big roles there in his previous school, so excited to see him grow and develop that.”
Despite not seeing the field a ton with the Buckeyes, Scott Jr. brings some big game experience that the young Oregon secondary should value greatly. He has the ability to push Obidegwu for a role on the outside opposite of Finney Jr., but he could also be a candidate to replace Canady as the nickel defender. He will have to make a strong first impression during spring practice, but Hampton and the coaching staff have plenty of confidence in the former five-star.
“He has a little position versatility,” Hampton said. “He can play inside and outside. He’s quick. He’s got great change of direction. I think that he’s just looking forward to the opportunity to go out and compete for a position.”
Even if Scott Jr. doesn’t wind up becoming a starter right away for the Ducks, he will still be a valuable piece as depth in the secondary after the program lost several depth pieces to the transfer portal and to the pros.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: How Ohio State transfer Aaron Scott Jr. fits with Oregon
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos