'09 NC RB Desmond Scott (Duke Verbal)

[osugrad21]

'09 NC RB Desmond Scott



Running back
Durham (NC) Hillside
Ht: 5-foot-9
Wt: 178 lbs
Forty: 4.47 secs
Bench reps: 23
Vertical: 34 inches
Shuttle: 4.00 secs
GPA: 3.7
Class: 2009 (High School)

Rivals $

Desmond is claiming early offers from Clemson, NC State, UNC, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and Alabama. He says location will be an important factor in his decision.

[osugrad21]

PalmettoSports
February 27, 2008 USC & Clemson Offer North Carolina Back

By Phil Kornblut
RB Desmond Scott (5-10 184) of Durham, NC is coming off a season of 950 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, and 38 receptions for 625 yards and three scores. He has offers from USC, Clemson, Virginia, North Carolina, NC State, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and East Carolina. He's also getting contact from Wake Forest, Rutgers, Michigan, LSU and Boston College. Scott has been to junior days at Wake Forest and East Carolina and he's planning to visit NC State Saturday. He got an email Wednesday from Clemson and gets mail regularly from USC. He's been to Clemson for a combine and to USC for a game. "They are all recruiting me about the same," Scott said. "All the coaches are doing an outstanding job recruiting me. I don't have any favorites. I have to continue to do my research."

[GoRU]

PalmettoSports.com | South Carolina Recruiting | Phil Kornblut | GoUpstate.com

RB Desmond Scott (5-10 185) of Durham, NC made the short trip over to Duke Saturday for a junior day and spring practice. And he said Sunday he "probably" will get to Clemson sometime this week for a practice. "I hear from Clemson weekly via e-mail or regular mail," Scott said. "I talked to coach Powell today regarding a spring practice visit. We had a pretty good conversation, just getting caught up with one another. I talk with coach Powell on a regular basis." Scott has offers from Clemson, USC, Virginia, North Carolina, NC State, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, East Carolina and West Virginia. He went to Maryland for a junior day, and he said he gets mail from USC about twice a week. He plans to visit Florida April 11-13. Scott said he does not have favorites.

[HotMic]

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4/9

From the UNC site. Scott says Duke and Rutgers are recruiting him the hardest, and also talks about his interest in UNC. He has trips to Florida, Rutgers, Ohio State, West Virginia, and UConn planned.

[GoRU]

FayObserver.com - Current Article Page

Even with an Atlantic Coast Conference-caliber running back in the Hillside High lineup last season, Coach Ray Harrison felt compelled to get the ball in Desmond Scott’s hands.

“He’s just that kind of athlete,’’ Harrison said. “So he did a bunch of things for us. We used him as a slot receiver, at running back and even in the secondary at defensive back.

“We looked for as many ways as we could to get him on the field.’’

Scott responded with a performance that helped the Hornets to an 11-3 record and a berth in the third round of the state 4-A playoffs.

The showing also turned the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder into the latest in a line of top college prospects to play at the Durham school.

Alabama, Clemson, East Carolina, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, N.C. State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia are just some of the major programs that have already offered scholarships to Scott.

The attention, which continues to mount each week, is similar to what Hillside alum Greg Little received in 2006, according to Harrison. Little was courted by more than 50 schools as a senior and first committed to Notre Dame before signing with North Carolina. He’s now a sophomore running back with the Tar Heels.

“He’s not as big as Greg yet, but it’s getting there,’’ Harrison said.

Scott, whose father Tony played running back at Northern Durham High in the 1980s, began making an impact on the Durham prep scene as a freshman. He made the varsity squad as a freshman at Southern Durham where he rushed 48 times for 221 yards, caught 18 passes for 220 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.

Moving into the starting lineup as a sophomore at Southern, Scott rushed for 1,265 yards and 15 touchdowns.

“He made a big splash as a sophomore at Southern,’’ Harrison said. “Then he decided to come over here, which excited us. I had coached at the middle school level at one point and knew him to be a hard worker and a very athletic guy.’’

But Harrison already had a proven running back in Gary Douglas, who signed with Maryland in February.

Despite the presence of Douglas, Scott still “managed’’ to log 140 carries for 905 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also contributed 38 receptions for 625 yards and three scores.

Harrison said Scott runs with better power and is more elusive than Douglas, but may not be quite as fast. Scott has been timed at 4.47 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

But it’s Scott’s combination of skills that really make him a top-flight college prospect, according to Harrison.

“I remember one play last year, I think it was in the first round of the state playoffs,’’ Harrison said. “We actually threw a swing pass to him and he should have been stopped in the backfield for a 5-yard loss.

“But he juked one guy. Two others came at him. But Desmond is very strong. He reps 225 pounds about 18 times on the bench now. So he stiff-armed those two guys and ran up the sideline about 60 yards for a touchdown.

“I think he showed his power and his versatility on that play.’’

Harrison has coached his share of major-college athletes over the last three seasons. That list includes the aforementioned Little and Douglas, lineman Quinn Barham (Penn State), defensive back Jonathan Smith (UNC), quarterback Mike Johnson (Tulsa) and defensive back Tyree Bullock (Tulsa).

So Harrison is prepared for the ever-amounting attention Scott will receive.

“He’s still open at this stage,’’ Harrison said. “He’ll look around this summer at as many places as possible. He’s going to be at Florida this weekend for a Nike camp and their spring game.’’

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4/23

From the Duke site. Scott took another visit to Duke, and again talks about how impressed he is with them. He will take some visits and narrow things down this summer.

[GoRU]

Football team's turn to land bluest chips

WVU is also very interested in Desmond Scott, who, like Berry, is a member of the rivals.com Top 150 recruits. Scott, the nation's No. 2 rated all-purpose back, played for a Durham (N.C.) Hillside team that went 11-3 last season and advanced to the state semifinals in Class 4-A, the second largest classification in North Carolina.

And the interest is mutual.

"He's very interested," said Durham running backs coach Javar Branson. "He knows the [West Virginia] offense. He loves the offense. And he knows [WVU associate head coach] Doc Holliday from when he was at Florida.''

Branson said Scott has offers from schools like Auburn, Alabama, Clemson, Rutgers, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia and Virginia, in addition to West Virginia.

"He's a versatile back and a very coachable kid," Branson said. "He plays strong at 5-9, 185 pounds."

Scott, who says he's 5-10, verified the interest in WVU.

"All the school are pretty even," he said. "But I'd like to get to West Virginia soon to see what they have to offer ... In the next three to four weeks I'd like to get there."

Scott said he wants to visit WVU and Rutgers before paring his list to four or five ("which I'll post on the Internet," he said) before making a final decision in "late July or early August."

"I like [West Virginia's] spread offense," Scott said. "I like Coach Holliday. He's very down-to-earth. Also, I've talked to two of their commitments, the quarterback and wide receiver. They've told me all about the program. I want to see what it's about.''

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5/27

Down to Rutgers and WVU.

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Union's Larrow commits to Rutgers | mycentraljersey.com | MyCentralJersey.com

Schiano could get another commitment Wednesday, with one of the nation's top running backs expected to choose between Rutgers and West Virginia. Desmond Scott, Rivals.com's No. 2 all-purpose back, has a press conference scheduled Wednesday at Hillside High in Durham, N.C. to announce his college choice.

RU lands recruit, expects another - NJ.com

Scott, a Rice-type back, is expected to choose Rutgers tomorrow at a press conference at his high school, according to Rivals.com recruiting expert Mike Farrell.

"From everything I've heard it's between Rutgers and West Virginia with Rutgers the leader now," Farrell said. "Nothing is in stone until he says it and then signs the letter of intent, but it looks good for Rutgers."

Farrell said the 5-9, 185-pound Scott is "very similar to Ray Rice."

[HotMic]

NJ.com: Everything Jersey

Rutgers lands coveted running back recruit Desmond Scott

by Tom Luicci/Star-Ledger Staff Wednesday June 04, 2008, 1:10 PM


Photo By Jeyhoun Allebaugh / The Herald-Sun
Desmond Scott of Durham, N.C., rated the No. 2 all-purpose running back in the country by Rivals.com, verbally committed to Rutgers today.
Scott, a 5-9, 185-pound back at Hillside High School, is considered a Ray Rice-type back, according to Rivals.com recruiting expert Mike Farrell.
"He's not quite as squat as Ray was, but he is probably a better pass receiver at this stage of his career than Ray was," Farrell said last week. "He's strong and runs low to the ground the way Ray did. He saw what a good fit Rice was at Rutgers."
Scott is seventh player to give Greg Schiano a verbal commitment for 2009 -- a class that is shaping up as Schiano's best ever.

[HotMic]

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7/24

From the Duke site. Switched his verbal from Rutgers to Duke. After talking things over with his family, Scott decided he wasn't comfortable going to school so far from his family and friends. Scott is firm with his verbal to Duke, and doesn't expect any more changes.

[GoRU]

That's always an inherent risk when you recruit outside of your core areas. Now we go back to Florida, or pray Graham can get it done in the classroom.