3-star OG Blaine Scott commits to Ole Miss over Duke

Offensive line coach Matt Luke has been one of Hugh Freeze’s best recruiters since arriving in Oxford back in 2012 after a stint with former Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe at Duke. He’s proven his worth once again in a head-to-head battle with his former boss by landing a commitment from three-star offensive lineman Blaine Scott.

Scott, a three-star product from Ohio was hard to read down the stretch of his recruitment, as most pundits believed he would head to Durham. Duke and Ole Miss joined Arkansas, Michigan State and Rutgers in the top five he announced last month. Don’t let the three-star rating fool you—Scott’s received offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Northwestern, Oregon, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse, Temple and Vanderbilt.

The 2018 U.S. Army All-American joins 2017 signees Ben Brown and Tony Gray as run blocking specialists, underscoring Freeze’s commitment to bolstering his run game.

How does he fit in?

The 6’4, 310-pounder possesses the prototypical height and length you want in an SEC offensive lineman these days: enough size to be a road grader on the interior and the height to slide to the outside if needed to handle the agile pass rushers in the conference. The nation’s No. 20 offensive guard looks to be a strong kid who can overwhelm opponents with his initial powerful punch off the line and drive them into the second and sometimes third level with his finishing ability.

Scott does need to add some functional strength, just like any high school recruit, but he’s a big, athletic offensive lineman who should thrive in new coordinator Phil Longo’s scheme. Scott is someone who can push for those tough two or three yards in short-yardage situations while also having the capabilities to get out in space and make room on a screen pass.

Ole Miss has a stacked O-line room with Greg Little, Bryce Mathews, Royce Newman, Chandler Tuitt and Jack DeFoor from the 2016 class as well as the aforementioned Brown and Gray.

Highlights