Tennessee football: 2022 N.Y. DE Jimmy Scott commits to Vols

The three-star defensive end near Buffalo, N.Y. chose the Tennessee football Volunteers.

Joe Osovet’s connections appear to be paying off for Jeremy Pruitt. Tennessee football received its first commitment for its 2022 recruiting class Sunday, and he chose Rocky Top from a school in Upstate New York.

Strongside defensive end Jimmy Scott, a 6’3″ 250-pound three-star on Rivals and 247Sports out of St. Francis High School in Athol Springs, N.Y., committed to Rocky Top. Scott himself hails from Hamburg, N.Y., and both towns are just outside of Buffalo.

Scott’s commitment gives Tennessee football an early start in trying to secure more outside rushers, which has been a huge priority of Pruitt’s for a few years now. He announced his decision to attend UT on Twitter.

According to an interview on Rivals, which you can see by clicking on the video above, Scott’s relationship with tight ends coach Joe Osovet played a huge role in his commitment. Osovet was promoted this year after serving two seasons as a quality control coach for Tennessee football. He spent over 20 years working at different colleges in New York City or on Long Island.

Although the Vols have been much stronger with strongside defensive ends than weakside defensive ends over the past couple of years, including elite guys like Tyler Baron, Reginald Perry, Darrell Jackson and Trinity Bell, Pruitt clearly needs all the help he can get there. After all, Matthew Butler, LaTrell Bumphus and Ja’Quain Blakley are all seniors this year, and John Mincey is a junior.

A guy like Scott, who already has a pretty solid frame, is a great addition to this group of players. Scott has a good bit of versatility and athleticism given the fact that he plays both running back and defensive end. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, Scott has great speed for a strongside defensive end, and he is also very agile. His quickness and strength could be a bit of a question given the level of competition he is facing, but his potential is clearly there.

With the addition of Scott, Tennessee football at least will have a solid rotation of guys to choose from entering 2021. Pruitt needs a wealth of depth and options given the coming departures, and Scott is the first step to having that. As a result, he’s a great pickup for the program.