For Scott, Pitt was a 'no-brainer'

When Jimmy Scott left his official visit to Pitt on Saturday, the Athol Springs (NY) St. Francis defensive end had a plan for the rest of his recruitment.

He would follow his Pitt visit - which was his second official visit, coming after a previous trip to Rutgers - with official visits to Boston College and West Virginia. Then, once he had seen those four schools, Scott would make his commitment.

But as Scott and his family drove back to New York from Pittsburgh, they started talking. And by the time they got home, the plans had changed.

“I just had a long conversation with my family on the way back,” Scott told Panther-Lair.com. “After the visit, it just felt like home. It was just a no-brainer on that one.”

So Scott and his family acted on the “no-brainer” and called Pat Narduzzi on Sunday to commit.

“I talked to them yesterday and they accepted my commitment,” Scott said Monday afternoon. “They were happy to have me. I talked to Coach Narduzzi, Coach (Charlie) Partridge and Coach (Tim) Salem and they were really excited, because they’ve been recruiting me for awhile.”

Scott picked Pitt over offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Nebraska, N.C. State, Rutgers, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Minnesota, Syracuse and West Virginia. But his experience this past weekend put Pitt over the top.

“The vibe was right with the campus and the coaches,” he said. “And aside from football, I’ve got a lot of family in Pittsburgh, too. That adds on to it as well. I’ve been out there a bunch of times.”

At 6’3” and 250 pounds, Scott projects as a defensive end in college, and he said that Partridge, Pitt’s defensive line coach, is high on his potential.

“What he wants me to do is kind of like what I’m doing right now, just making plays,” Scott said. “Coach Partridge said he likes how I get off the ball and my pad level. He said I reminded him of some guys who have been there.”