Brett Ludwiczak
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Player to Watch: Gee Scott Jr. has big shoes to fill at tight end for Ohio State
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Following Cade Stover moving on to the NFL, Gee Scott Jr. is ready to lead at tight end.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the Buckeyes we expect to excel this season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Players to Watch” articles here.
With the addition of running back Quinshon Judkins from the transfer portal, the return of TreVeyon Henderson and Emeka Egbuka, as well as superstar freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith finally arriving in Columbus, not a lot of attention has been paid to the loss of tight end Cade Stover to the NFL.
All “Farmer Gronk” did as a Buckeye was finish second in school history among tight ends in receptions and receiving yards, along with being named Big Ten Tight End of the Year in 2023 and a finalist for the Mackey Award. Even though Marvin Harrison Jr. was the focal point of the Buckeye passing attack last year, Stover was the security valve for Kyle McCord.
When it comes to the Ohio State offense in 2024, tight end doesn’t seem to be much of a concern. The bigger questions have to do with how Will Howard will transition to running the Buckeye offense after transferring in from Kansas State, and how carries will be distributed between Judkins and Henderson.
Even though Buckeye Nation might not be thinking much about who will step into Stover’s role, there is one tight end who is ready to shine.
Gee Scott Jr. was recruited to Ohio State as a wide receiver as part of the 2020 recruiting class before moving over to tight end during 2021 spring practices. Prior to coming to Columbus, Scott was a four-star wide receiver out of Eastside Catholic High School in Seattle.
Not only was Scott the 12th ranked wide receiver in the country in the class of 2020, he was also ranked second overall out of all recruits coming out of Washington. After catching 76 passes for 1,453 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior, Scott was invited to play in the Army All-American Bowl.
The transition from wide receiver to tight end is a lot more difficult than football fans can imagine. Scott came to Ohio State at 210 pounds, which is really light for a tight end. By comparison, both Stover and Jeremy Ruckert weighed around 250 pounds. Not only did Scott have to work on putting some weight on to be able to sniff some playing time, he also had to learn the ins and outs of blocking.
No matter what offense a tight end is playing in, if they can’t show they are able to run block and pass protect, they aren’t going to see the field because their coaches and teammates won’t be able to trust them.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25483347/1296883244.jpg "CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T - Ohio State v Alabama")
Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images
Luckily for Scott he had a couple great tight ends ahead of him in Stover and Ruckert to learn from. Scott was the first to admit during the spring just how much time and attention moving to tight end has required. There are so many different facets to the position, as well as having to go up against pretty much everyone on the opposing defense.
Some plays you are helping against monster defensive tackles or speedy edge rushers. Other times you are trying to get separation against linebackers and safeties to try and make yourself a target for your quarterback.
So far in his Ohio State career, Scott has 20 catches for 140 yards and two scores. After catching just five passes in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, last year Scott doubled his reception total, hauling in 10 passes. Back in 2022 against Michigan State Scott found the end zone for the first time, and last year he added his second career touchdowns in the win over Rutgers. Even though Scott’s stats aren’t going to jump off the page at people, it’s obvious there has been growth as he has become more comfortable at the tight end position.
What has helped to raise expectations this season for Scott are the glowing reviews he received in spring practices from head coach Ryan Day and tight ends coach Keenan Bailey. Day raved about the leadership and attitude Scott has brought to the unit after the graduation of Stover, while Bailey said Scott emerged as the leader of the tight end unit.
What has also helped push Scott during the offseason was the addition of Will Kacmarek from Ohio in the transfer portal. The former Bobcat is going to compete with Scott for playing time, along with Bennett Christian, who is returning from a year-long suspension due to PED use.
While it would be great if Scott could mirror Stover’s receiving numbers, it is by no means necessary or even expected. Some reasonable goals for what you might see from Scott this season are 20-25 catches with the Seattle product finding the end zone somewhere around three or four times. Anything above that would likely be a bonus for the Buckeyes.
What the offense really needs Scott to do is just play sound football and not make mistakes in blocking and pass protection. Last year Stover had to do more with the running game struggling, the injury to Emeka Egbuka, and some inconsistent play at quarterback from McCord. This year doesn’t feel like there will be as many questions on offense for Ohio State, especially with Day handing over the offensive control to Chip Kelly.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25483350/1771542371.jpg "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 04 Ohio State at Rutgers")
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Then again, it is no secret how much Will Howard loved utilizing the tight end while he was a starter at Kansas State, so we could see the new Ohio State quarterback look Scott’s way early in the season to try and build a rhythm with the tight end if Howard does end up as the starting quarterback from the Buckeyes.
No matter how this season ends up turning out, we have to recognize just how much work Scott has put in during his time in Columbus so far. If anyone deserves success on the field, it is Scott.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Following Cade Stover moving on to the NFL, Gee Scott Jr. is ready to lead at tight end.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the Buckeyes we expect to excel this season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Players to Watch” articles here.
With the addition of running back Quinshon Judkins from the transfer portal, the return of TreVeyon Henderson and Emeka Egbuka, as well as superstar freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith finally arriving in Columbus, not a lot of attention has been paid to the loss of tight end Cade Stover to the NFL.
All “Farmer Gronk” did as a Buckeye was finish second in school history among tight ends in receptions and receiving yards, along with being named Big Ten Tight End of the Year in 2023 and a finalist for the Mackey Award. Even though Marvin Harrison Jr. was the focal point of the Buckeye passing attack last year, Stover was the security valve for Kyle McCord.
When it comes to the Ohio State offense in 2024, tight end doesn’t seem to be much of a concern. The bigger questions have to do with how Will Howard will transition to running the Buckeye offense after transferring in from Kansas State, and how carries will be distributed between Judkins and Henderson.
Even though Buckeye Nation might not be thinking much about who will step into Stover’s role, there is one tight end who is ready to shine.
Gee Scott Jr. was recruited to Ohio State as a wide receiver as part of the 2020 recruiting class before moving over to tight end during 2021 spring practices. Prior to coming to Columbus, Scott was a four-star wide receiver out of Eastside Catholic High School in Seattle.
Not only was Scott the 12th ranked wide receiver in the country in the class of 2020, he was also ranked second overall out of all recruits coming out of Washington. After catching 76 passes for 1,453 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior, Scott was invited to play in the Army All-American Bowl.
The transition from wide receiver to tight end is a lot more difficult than football fans can imagine. Scott came to Ohio State at 210 pounds, which is really light for a tight end. By comparison, both Stover and Jeremy Ruckert weighed around 250 pounds. Not only did Scott have to work on putting some weight on to be able to sniff some playing time, he also had to learn the ins and outs of blocking.
No matter what offense a tight end is playing in, if they can’t show they are able to run block and pass protect, they aren’t going to see the field because their coaches and teammates won’t be able to trust them.
Luckily for Scott he had a couple great tight ends ahead of him in Stover and Ruckert to learn from. Scott was the first to admit during the spring just how much time and attention moving to tight end has required. There are so many different facets to the position, as well as having to go up against pretty much everyone on the opposing defense.
Some plays you are helping against monster defensive tackles or speedy edge rushers. Other times you are trying to get separation against linebackers and safeties to try and make yourself a target for your quarterback.
So far in his Ohio State career, Scott has 20 catches for 140 yards and two scores. After catching just five passes in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, last year Scott doubled his reception total, hauling in 10 passes. Back in 2022 against Michigan State Scott found the end zone for the first time, and last year he added his second career touchdowns in the win over Rutgers. Even though Scott’s stats aren’t going to jump off the page at people, it’s obvious there has been growth as he has become more comfortable at the tight end position.
What has helped to raise expectations this season for Scott are the glowing reviews he received in spring practices from head coach Ryan Day and tight ends coach Keenan Bailey. Day raved about the leadership and attitude Scott has brought to the unit after the graduation of Stover, while Bailey said Scott emerged as the leader of the tight end unit.
What has also helped push Scott during the offseason was the addition of Will Kacmarek from Ohio in the transfer portal. The former Bobcat is going to compete with Scott for playing time, along with Bennett Christian, who is returning from a year-long suspension due to PED use.
While it would be great if Scott could mirror Stover’s receiving numbers, it is by no means necessary or even expected. Some reasonable goals for what you might see from Scott this season are 20-25 catches with the Seattle product finding the end zone somewhere around three or four times. Anything above that would likely be a bonus for the Buckeyes.
What the offense really needs Scott to do is just play sound football and not make mistakes in blocking and pass protection. Last year Stover had to do more with the running game struggling, the injury to Emeka Egbuka, and some inconsistent play at quarterback from McCord. This year doesn’t feel like there will be as many questions on offense for Ohio State, especially with Day handing over the offensive control to Chip Kelly.
Then again, it is no secret how much Will Howard loved utilizing the tight end while he was a starter at Kansas State, so we could see the new Ohio State quarterback look Scott’s way early in the season to try and build a rhythm with the tight end if Howard does end up as the starting quarterback from the Buckeyes.
No matter how this season ends up turning out, we have to recognize just how much work Scott has put in during his time in Columbus so far. If anyone deserves success on the field, it is Scott.
Continue reading...