In what could only be described as a very strange situation to say the least, sophomore cornerback James Scott was not among the players that reported to Ohio State’s preseason camp this week.
A spokesperson from Ohio State tried to shed some light on why Scott -- a scholarship player from Daytona Beach, Fla. -- is not practicing with the Buckeyes at this time.
“He was not in the 105 that were asked to report to camp,” the spokesperson said.
It is unclear if Scott is being disciplined for something that happened over the summer, but that seems to be the most likely of the possibilities. There were rumblings that his absense was performance related, but that would be the first time that ever happened in the Jim Tressel era. Usually, the only reason scholarship players aren’t welcomed back is due to disciplinary or academic issues.
Now the question is when Scott will re-join the football team, if he does at all. Could he report by the first game on Aug. 30? Might he join the team when school begins in mid-September?
“Could be either,” the OSU spokesperson said. “Some more guys will be reporting at each of those times.”
Following an impressive spring, Scott was expected to push for a spot in the two-deep at corner this season. The top four corners appear to be set with Malcolm Jenkins, Donald Washington, Chimdi Chekwa and Andre Amos. However, with Washington possibly facing a one-or-two-game suspension to open the season, playing time appeared to be imminent for Scott.
At Seabreeze High School, Scott was ranked as one of the top 10 cornerbacks in the country by several recruiting services and was a two-time second-team All-Florida selection. As a senior in 2006, he had 59 tackles and two interceptions. As a junior in 2005, he recorded 62 tackles and four picks.
As a freshman at OSU in 2007, Scott had six tackles on the season and most of his playing time came on special teams. He also recovered a fumble against Washington.
Scott’s predicament might be one of the reasons Ohio State is recruiting so many defensive backs in its 2009 class (five verbal commitments from DBs so far). If he does not return to the team, it would open up another scholarship that could be used for the ’09 class. Currently, OSU has 24 verbal commitments and there are reports the team wants to sign 27 or maybe as many as 28 prospects in February.
* The other player not in camp is freshman defensive tackle Shawntel Rowell from Cleveland Glenville. His predicament is due to academics.
“Yeah, Shawntel is not with us right now,” Tressel said on Monday. “He hopes to be with us in January, or actually the end of December. But he’s not in this 105.”
* WBNS 1460 The Fan’s Lori Schmidt contributed to this report.
