He can keep the helmet. [Photo credit: Scout]
247's Steve Lorenz reports that Michigan has picked up a commitment from three-star Upper Marlboro (MD) Riverdale Baptist cornerback Sir Patrick Scott during today's BBQ at the Big House. Scott is the 22nd commit in the 2016 class and the third at cornerback, joining Antwaine Richardson and Benjamin St-Juste.
To the best of my knowledge, he's the second Sir Patrick to grace the Big House with his presence.
GURU RATINGS
| Scout | Rivals | ESPN | 247 | 247 Comp |
| 3*, #57 CB | 3*, NR CB | 3*, 77, #40 CB |
3*, 87, #64 CB, #653 Ovr |
3*, #59 CB, #661 Ovr |
All four sites have Scott off the four-star pace by a decent margin with ESPN the most bullish on his ability. He's got a nice frame for a corner. All four sites list him at 6'1", with three of them pegging him at 170-175 pounds and Scout at 190.
SCOUTING
Taller corners often aren't the most fluid athletes, but Scout's free evaluation alleviates those concerns when it comes to Scott:
Evaluation
Scott is a physical, aggressive cornerback who can flip his hips and run with receiver as well as playing press coverage. He locates the ball well and has an ability to close on a receiver. He drives on the ball well and sits low in his backpedal. He needs to add some upper body strength to be able to combat receivers with size. -- Brian Dohn
Strengths
Backpedal Quickness
Hip Flexibility
Recovery Ability
Areas to Improve
Blitzing Ability
Size
ESPN praises Scott's combination of size and closing speed and goes into detail on his coverage ability ($):
Best when pressed. Is tall and high cut which is concerning vs elite speed and quickness. Flashes quick feet and the ability to turn and run without losing much momentum. Will recover with length and his ability to reach and deflect ball from receiver when a few steps are gained on him. Tracks the ball well over his shoulder using the sideline as an alley. Will adjust well to routes and make a play on the football. Does a good job to transition forward and set the edge in run support or underneath coverage. May not want playing off on an island.
They like him much more as a press man corner than a zone corner, which shouldn't be a major issue considering the direction Michigan's defense is headed.
ESPN also mentions that Scott could be a future safety. Rivals' Adam Friedman thought along the same lines when he saw Scott at June's Riverdale Baptist 7-on-7 tournament, where Friedman said he raised his stock ($):
Scott is a big defensive back with ideal size for a safety. His frame is already pretty filled out and he quickly reacts to what he sees in front of him. As continues to convert from cornerback to safety, Scott is focused on getting out of his backpedal faster. His physicality was impressive as well. Scott's strength helped him knock down passes when receivers already had the ball in their hands.
That's about it as far as scouting goes on Scott for now.
OFFERS
Scott holds offers from Arizona, Boston College, Cal, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan State, NC State, Pitt, Temple, Wake Forest, Washington State, Wisconsin, and a handful of others.
HIGH SCHOOL
Riverdale Baptist has produced only one Power 5 commit, 2005 Maryland DT signee Travis Ivey, prior to this class in the Rivals era. This year, however, they've got a talented and spectacularly named pair of rising senior cornerbacks in Scott and three-star Penn State commit Zechariah McPhearson.
STATS
No updated stats available.
FAKE 40 TIME
His Scout profile lists an estimated 40 time of 4.65, which gets four FAKEs out of five for saying "estimated" right up front.
VIDEO
Junior highlights:
Sophomore highlights and single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
With Michigan moving to more man press coverage, I expect Scott will stick at corner. Making the relatively safe assumption that he'll take a redshirt year or play a small role as a freshman, that would put him in a potentially wide open competition with Reon Dawson, Brandon Watson, Keith Washington, Richardson, and St-Juste for a starting role in 2017.
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
Barring decommitments or St-Juste reclassifying to 2017—which is a possibility—Scott should wrap up Michigan's cornerback recruiting for the class, especially since ATH Chris Evans could land at the position (though slot still appears to be his most likely destination).
As for the class as a whole, Michigan is now at 22 commits with 14 scholarships currently open. The scholarship situation was covered in detail in a June mailbag; between unrenewed fifth-year seniors, yet-to-be-announced medical scholarships, expected attrition as the depth chart becomes more clear at certain crowded position groups, and attrition from within the class itself, Michigan should have room for their current commits and 3-6 more.
Areas of need include wide receiver, tight end, WDE/BUCK LB, defensive tackle, and one more offensive lineman. Top individual targets include five-star NJ DT Rashan Gary, five-star CA OLB Caleb Kelly, four-star MD OG Terrance Davis, four-star TX OT Jean Delance, four-star NC OT Landon Dickerson, four-star WR Ahmir Mitchell, four-star ILB Devin Bush Jr., and PA TE Naseir Upshur.