What 2024 CB Aaron Scott's commitment to Ohio State means for the Michigan rivalry

Aaron Scott fits the mold of a traditional Ohio State cornerback.
Standing at 6-foot, 170 pounds, Scott, a Springfield native, relishes press-man coverage opportunities, bursting off the line of scrimmage and giving the wide receiver he's facing a physical battle each and every snap.
But he was also a player Michigan wanted, capturing the attention of the Wolverines, which battled with the Buckeyes late into Scott's recruitment along with Oregon.
“I feel like if I’m going to do it, I’d become the villain," Scott told The Dispatch in May when asked about Ohio State's reaction if he chose Michigan.
Instead of becoming the Buckeyes' villain, Scott became the latest example of a recruiting win Ohio State has over its rival.
Scott, along with four-star cornerback Bryce West and five-star defensive lineman Justin Scott, committed to the Buckeyes after having Michigan as a finalist.
Scott, the No. 52 player in the class, joins West, Scott, four-star Arizona cornerback Miles Lockhart, four-star Texas linebacker Payton Pierce, four-star Ohio linebacker Garrett Stover and four-star New Jersey safety Jayden McClain as the Buckeyes' current 2024 defensive commitments.
Why 2024 CB Aaron Scott chose Ohio State over Michigan
Through his recruitment, Scott has already had a taste of what the Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry is like.
Scott is expected to join a group of 72 Ohio State football players, since coach Ryan Day took over the program in 2019, that signed with the Buckeyes holding onto a Michigan offer. Comparatively, only 34 Michigan signees during that span chose the Wolverines over Ohio State, including only one in 2023: four-star athlete Brandyn Hillman.
In the 2024 class, though, Michigan initially held the upper hand.
Quarterback Jadyn Davis, tight end Brady Prieskorn and running back Jordan Marshall each had Ohio State as finalists before joining the Wolverines' fourth-ranked class.
Michigan's 2024 class has four Ohio natives: Marshall, offensive lineman Luke Hamilton, defensive lineman Ted Hammond and offensive tackle Ben Roebuck, who is teammates with Ohio State commits Deontae and Devontae Armstrong at St. Edward High School in Lakewood.
Hammond, Roebuck and Hamilton do not have offers from Ohio State.
Michigan had offers out to five-star wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Mylan Graham, West, Scott, McClain, Pierce, tight end Max LeBlanc and both Armstrong twins.
Heading into his official visit June 23-25, Scott and West, who announced his commitment Saturday, each had Michigan as a finalist with each attending an official visit in Ann Arbor in June before both picked the Buckeyes.
Lockhart, who was on an Ohio State official visit June 23-25, teamed up with West to try and convince Scott that the Buckeyes were the best team for him.
“Me and Bryce were on Aaron a ton,” Lockhart said. “‘We need you in this class. We need you to commit.’ We wanted to make it apparent to him that he’s not someone that we really want. We really need him to come play with us and help us with the secondary."
But for Scott, picking Ohio State over Michigan was a simple decision.
“They known as DBU,” Scott said of Ohio State. “They get DBs to the league, and that’s my goal: make it to the league.”