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Scott to Buffaloes is looking good

Top back's interest in CU recruits one of several signs

By B.G. Brooks, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 20, 2007 at 12:45 a.m.

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Darrell Scott's uncle, Josh Smith, is a receiver at Colorado.

Darrell Scott's uncle, Josh Smith, is a receiver at Colorado.

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University of Colorado football fans will remain anxious until he makes it official by returning his signed national letter of intent Feb. 6, but indications are stronger than ever Darrell Scott plans to sign with the Buffaloes.

Scott, rated the nation's top high school running back prospect by most recruiting services, has been telephoning or text messaging some of CU's higher-profile prospects for nearly a month - a fairly common practice for "name" recruits intent on being part of a top- tier class.

Scott was in contact Tuesday with Mullen High School offensive lineman Bryce Givens, who last weekend reconsidered an earlier commitment to Nebraska and now plans to sign with CU.

Givens spoke with Scott, of St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura, Calif., telling him, "I'm going to be blocking for you somewhere down the line and I'm looking forward to it. . . . He was really excited about my commitment and I'm really excited about the chance to play with him."

After St. Bonaventure's 35-21 victory Saturday against Modesto Central Catholic in the CIF Division III state championship bowl game, Scott told reporters he would announce his college choice on national signing day, selecting from among Texas, Florida, Louisiana State and CU.

Scott told Givens the same thing.

"He said he would hold off until then," said Givens, one of three offensive line commitments in CU's 2008 class. "He's keeping it all on the low right now. . . . But I know he's real happy about the way (CU's recruiting) is going right now."

Scott has visited Texas and CU, where his uncle, Josh Smith, is a freshman receiver. He has indicated in various media reports he still could make official visits to Florida and LSU in January.

Smith's sister is Scott's mother, and Smith has said he and his nephew were "more like brothers" while growing up together in Moorpark, Calif.

Smith also has said he and Scott, who transferred from Moorpark High School to St. Bonaventure for his senior season, often discussed playing together in college, as they did for two years at Moorpark.

Neither Smith nor Scott, though, has publicly acknowledged they will be together next season at CU. In fact, Scott has remained coy and noncommittal about his plans. But he apparently is having fun with the recruiting process.

As St. Bonaventure advanced through the division playoffs, Rivals.com reported Scott flashed a "hook 'em" sign to Longhorns fans wearing their burnt orange, "a move that has had the Texas fan base abuzz."

But no more abuzz than CU recruiting fanatics who long have believed Smith's familial ties with Scott gave the Buffs an early, dominant edge.

He has told several publications and Internet recruiting sites his visits to Texas and CU were enjoyable, but he has not publicly expressed a favorite.

Despite a sprained right ankle, Scott, usually listed as a 6-foot, 204-pounder, rushed 17 times for 150 yards, including scoring runs of 48 and 10 yards in his school's bowl win Saturday.. He also threw a 16-yard touchdown pass.

He completed his senior season with 1,717 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns, giving him 7,605 career rushing yards and 99 touchdowns, according to the Ventura County Star.

Scott told the newspaper his transfer from Moorpark to St. Bonaventure, a perennial power that has won a state-best 119 games since 1998, "caused a lot of controversy. I know people at Moorpark were calling me things like 'traitor' and saying I abandoned the school.

"That hurts because I never meant to abandon anybody. I still have a lot of friends over there, and I'll get in my car and go visit them."

He said the "atmosphere" wasn't a fit for him at Moorpark, adding his new teammates at St. Bonaventure embraced him and "the chemistry was amazing."

CU has 17 known commitments, among them eight three- star and seven four-star prospects, according to Rivals' ranking system. A cut above, Scott carries a five-star rating.

brooksb@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5466

Comments

  • December 20, 2007

    2:26 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Powersteer writes:

    Why would Darrel Scott want to play in a place that is indiferrent about football, it seems the logical decison is Texas where he will get immediate playing time and will hav eone the nations best Offensive lines to block for him, also colorado is going nowhere until they get a new QB, Cody Hawkins kid is not an elite level QB IMHO. So Texas >>>>>>>>> CU (granola eating hippie university)

  • December 20, 2007

    2:58 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    JZS writes:

    To Darrell Scott, welcome to the University of Colorado. You will be loved and well received here in the city of Boulder and in the State of Colorado. You will be joining a young team with serious potential and a team with great chemistry. The coaching staff is young, aggressive, creative, and highly motivated to succeed and put their athletes in positions to succeed. You will not find a more perfect place to make your presence felt nationally. Go Buffs!

  • December 27, 2007

    2:08 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    JasonT writes:

    Obviously the poster of the first blog isn't a real alumni of UT. If he/she was, they would know that the city of Austin is comprised of the same hippie/granola eating liberals that Boulder is. Weren't they the ones that coined the "Keep Austin Weird" that Portland and Boulder eventually adopted? I'll tell you the only difference is that CU is comprised of smarter people that are not from Texas as well as being a University that ranks in the top five public universities. Thats something a Texas school could never produce. Further a Cali kid like Darrell needs to be around his kind. CU is mostly Californians, South Floridians, East coasters and ofcourse Coloradoans. If I were him I would rather go to CU, especially since all of this hype causing a bunch of 4-5 * lineman to jump on the Colorado bandwagon.

  • January 25, 2008

    11:45 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    BONDPP7 writes:

    US News, National Universities: Top Schools 2008

    44. University of Texas-Austin

    79. University of Colorado-Boulder

    Get your facts correct. CU might be a top five public university in the state of Colorado, but that's about it.