Hoza Scott is quite possibly the top outside linebacker recruit in the 2014 class. He has great range and the Texas A&M Aggies landed his services pretty early on in the process. Scott committed to Texas A&M back in December and figures to stick with the Aggies until the end.
When you watch Scott, the first thing that really stands out are his long arms and his strong base. The arms make it easier for him to get off blocks. Scott is able to perform all sorts of important linebacker tasks to ensure that he’s known for more than just being good at getting to the quarterback.
College football recruiting 2014: Hoza Scott scouting report
Hoza Scott has already committed to the Texas A&M Aggies and figures to be the best outside linebacker in the 2014 recruiting class.
But Scott’s specialty is getting to the quarterback. In pass-rushing situations, Scott does a good job preparing for the blitz, then showcases his acceleration by meeting the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage.
Scott can do other things that will make him a pretty dynamic playmaker as a linebacker. He can line up to the outside and match up with wide receivers and do a good job of blowing up screens. His arms are long enough to be a menace on short and intermediate passing routes to break up passes. Match his arms with his base and he’s good at fighting off blocks and becoming a constant menace in confined space, as the ball-carrier would always have to be conscious of his presence on the field.
SB Nation Recruiting’s Wescott Eberts:
Scott followed up his spectacular sophomore season with a few bumps in the road -- he was suspended early in the season and admitted that he had let some of the attention to go his head, hardly surprising for someone so young who had been receiving so many accolades.
In watching Scott during the Fox Sports Southwest 7-on-7 State Championship last summer in College Station, there were no signs of immaturity on or off the field -- Scott was clearly the vocal leader before plays and while on the sideline, helping to counsel a teammate who was so upset with the coaches that he was on the verge of tears.
On the field, Scott jumped an out route for an interception that he returned for a touchdown, called out another play so his teammate could grab an interception, and hustled at every opportunity, even after the outcome of the game was decided and he was battling cramping issues at the end of a long, hot Texas summer day.
The plays in coverage and overall understanding of the game were particularly impressive, even more so when placed in the context of what Scott was asked to do as a sophomore -- head downhill from the edge. It may take some time for him to show similar acumen taking drops in college and there is always the chance that he could end up as a 3-4 outside linebacker type whose primary responsibilities include work around the line of scrimmage. After all, he was sold on A&M by the staff telling him that he could be the next Von Miller.
Scott’s junior film is not particularly extensive, but he does have some rather impressive moments. Teams were clearly trying to scheme him out of plays, a strategy that often back-fired. On one play, Scott was responsible for playing the quarterback on a speed option, forced the pitch, then showed a burst of lateral quickness to bring down the running back as well. On another, the opponent ran a jet sweep fake/zone read combination away from him, but left him unblocked and when the play didn’t develop quickly enough, Scott chased it down from the backside.
Yet another was a pure show of dominance -- with the natural strength to grab hold of a running back and control them near the line of scrimmage, Scott simply stole the football from his opponent and returned it for a touchdown. Simply unfair.
A versatile athlete, Scott even spent some time at running back and wide receiver to help out his team. Look, there’s Scott breaking off a big run and showing a little bit of shiftiness and legitimate explosiveness doing his best James Wilder impression. Look, there’s Scott high-pointing the football in the end zone like a true wide receiver.
Impressive stuff.
As long as Scott can learn from the mistakes that sidetracked the start of his junior season, he’ll be an impact player in College Station, and probably sooner rather than later.
Name: Hoza Scott
High school and hometown: La Porte (Texas) High School
Position: Scott is considered one of the potential candidates for being the top outside linebackers in the country.
Height and weight: 6’3, 215 pounds
Ratings by the four major services: Scott is a consensus four-star recruit. Scott is ranked 28th in the top 247 of 247 Sports; 23rd nationally in Rivals; Scott is also considered the top outside linebacker according to Scout and is positioned on the ESPN watchlist.
Offers: Alabama, LSU, Texas, Notre Dame, Florida State, and Ole Miss
Twitter account: @HozaScott
Video highlights: Sophomore highlights via Hudl; junior highlights via Hudl
SB Nation storystream on Scott available here.
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