Great Scott - rookie Salesian defender is suddenly a wanted prospect on the recruiting trail

Kevin Scott of Salesian-Los Angeles has gone from first-year defensive tackle to a wanted recruit for the Class of 2015. Scott, who has a team-high 11 sacks, landed his first three scholarship offers during the week of Nov. 16 (photo contributed).

In a span of 48 hours, Kevin Scott of Salesian High School in Los Angeles went from aspiring basketball player to a fast rising defensive tackle prospect.

The Class of 2015 recruit, who had never played football before until this season, came home to three scholarship offers from the University of Ohio, San Diego State and New Mexico State. All of his pledges came between Nov. 16-18.

The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Scott said he didn't take long to appreciate his new sport.

"I've been playing basketball my whole life. But once I stepped onto that field, I developed a passion for the game," Scott said.

His rookie season has been dominant. Scott has used a quick first step off the snap to dismantle running backs and quarterbacks. He's used an array of moves from the swim to the spin to beat offensive linemen. He has 26 tackles, a team-high 11 sacks and seven stops behind the line of scrimmage for the 5-6 Mustangs, who'll meet Burbank High on Friday, Nov. 21, in the CIF Southern Section Southeast Division Playoffs.

Scott said his basketball background gives him the upper hand when he battles against different blocking schemes on Friday nights.

"In basketball, all you do is run, so I'm faster than most defensive and offensive linemen," Scott said. "So my speed off the ball is pretty good. Defenders have to be athletic and need to be on their feet anyway. Because of my basketball background, it's easy for me to move around offensive linemen and make plays for my team."

He's reached the three sack threshold twice this season: the Sept. 12 contest against View Park-LA (won 56-12) and Oct. 11 against L.A. Cathedral (lost 58-20).

Scott said he's hearing from other programs outside of Ohio, SDSU and NMSU. The University of Washington, Fresno State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt have talked to him on the phone. He adds that South Carolina has spoken to his coaches.

Is Scott going to a make his recruiting choice soon?

"I'll let the process play out," Scott said. "Any schools that want to talk to me and offer me, I'll wait on them until National Signing Day."

In the mean time, Scott said he's trying to stay calm during an excitable rush with his recruiting process.

Said Scott: "Sometimes, I'm amazed at myself with how fast I've caught on with football and how good I became. But I like to keep my head above my shoulders and stay humble, because I know there's always someone trying to work as hard as I am."

Scott's film can be seen here.