Gamecocks signee hoped to meet new position coach in person. How life changed that
Makius Scott was all ready to come to Columbia and meet his new position coach.
The defensive tackle from Gainesville, Georgia committed to South Carolina football when John Scott was in charge of the defensive line, but in early February that changed. John Scott departed for Penn State, and Tracy Rocker joined the staff from Tennessee.
No problem there. Gamecocks spring practice was coming, and it wouldn’t have been so much of a stretch to come up I-20 and meet the man in person.
Instead, Makius Scott met his new coach by phone and had a nice chat.
“We caught up recently,” Makius Scott said. “He just asked how I was doing, what’s my weight, stuff like that.”
His position is one with a bit of uncertainty. Scott is finishing off high school remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic that has ground sports and society at large to a halt (he said it’s not his preferred style of learning).
The 6-foot-3, 305-pounder said he hasn’t yet been given an update on the team‘s enrollment plan. The original expectation was for players to arrive in June after “Maymester,” but the university recently announced students will not come to campus until the start of August.
USC Athletics Director Ray Tanner told The Athletic website there could be the possibility of athletes arriving before the general population, pending a de-escalation of social distancing measures if the pandemic starts to abate.
Scott said he also hasn’t been given an update on the workout plan the staff had sent him for this semester, though they want him to arrive in shape, so he’s done some improvising.
“I have dumbbells, and I have this bar thing that I do curls with,” Scott said. “I’ll go to the high school every other day (to run), and I’ll go with buddies and train and work out.”
Before schools were closed, he’d been participating in track, chasing his school’s shotput record. He’s been running every day, alternating hitting the weight room or doing body-weight exercises on other days.
The three-star lineman got his offer months before coming to camp at USC. After a strong performance, he committed as part of a class that eventually included Tonka Hemingway and Alex Huntley in the middle.
Scott said he expects to make an impact in some way in South Carolina’s defensive front, which has Keir Thomas, Zach Pickens and Rick Sandidge set to man the middle. Scott is a big body with some explosiveness, and he’s got an 8-foot wingspan to boot.
What comes next is uncertain, but the future Gamecock isn’t sweating it too much.
“I really haven’t thought about that,” Scott said. “I just know that either way, if I come in June or come in July, I’m ready to work, ready to play.
This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
