Justin Scott, top prospect in Illinois, commits to Ohio State football

St. Ignatius five-star defensive lineman makes pledge to Buckeyes

Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports | Jul 2, 2023

Justin Scott, top prospect in Illinois, commits to Ohio State football /

St. Ignatius (Illinois) five-star defensive lineman Justin Scott committed to Ohio State on Sunday.

The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Scott is the No. 21 ranked prospect in the country, the No. 4 d-lineman and the top-ranked recruit in Illinois, according to 247 Sports.

Scott played all across the defensive line and featured on both sides as a junior at St. Ignatius. As a sophomore, he logged 37 tackles, five tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries.

He trimmed his list of options down to eight in January and took official visits to Georgia, Michigan, Miami and Ohio State.

Clearly, the Buckeyes left a lasting impression.

Recruiting insiders speculated in April he was trending toward Miami. 247 Sports' Steve Wiltfong gave a Scott-to-Miami prediction in April after an unofficial visit to the Hurricanes and head coach Mario Cristobal.

Turns out, all he needed was a trip to Columbus. Scott visited Ohio State on June 23 in the latest stop in a busy month.

Scott helped the Wolfpack to a 10-3 record and a run to the Illinois Class 6A state semifinals in November, where it lost to Prairie Ridge, 21-19.

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Lead photo by Nate Latsch

Published Jul 2, 2023

ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.