How Miami nabbed five-star DL from Ohio State

Justin Scott represents a massive recruiting win for head coach Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes.

Not only is Scott an elite 2024 recruit -- ranked as the No. 3 defensive lineman in the nation and the No. 12 player overall, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings -- but Cristobal and his staff stole Scott's commitment right under the nose of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Scott, from Chicago, Illinois, flipped from OSU to Miami on Monday, and according to On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons, it was patience that paid off at the end of the day for the Hurricanes.

Cristobal, defensive line coach Joe Salave'a and defensive ends coach Jason Taylor weren't pushy, but they were persistent with the five-star. Miami was a contender for Scott's commitment when he originally committed to OSU in July. He had officially visited the Hurricanes in June, but apparently, things really took off between the two sides just a few weeks ago.

“I think it was more Justin Scott just keeping Miami in the back of his mind. He watched the season play out for Miami…Miami didn’t flood his DMs or text him all the time or call everyday and really try to overwhelm him…I think Justin Scott — when he committed to Ohio State — kept Miami in the back of his mind, watched the season, saw some progression and then he initiated contact with Miami a couple of weeks ago, it kind of took off pretty quickly from there,” Simmons explained.

Cristobal's team finished 7-5, so the Hurricanes are bowl-eligible. With that said, they lost three of their last four games and finished ninth in the ACC.

A recruiting win like this could go a long way toward turning things around in Coral Gables, though.

“He’s a versatile guy, he had every offer on the table. Took OVs (official visits) to Georgia, Ohio State, Miami, Notre Dame…he could’ve gone wherever he wanted to go,” Simmons said of Miami's new commit. “This is a statement victory for Mario Cristobal, Joe Salave’a, Jason Taylor, analyst Steve Schrum was in the mix as well…so a very big win on the trail late for Cristobal and the University of Miami.”