Stock continues to rise for 2009 RB Scott

Durham (N.C.) Hillside running back Desmond Scott is quickly moving up the charts in the 2009 recruiting class. The 5-foot-8, 175-pounder already holds three offers and is gaining interest after another impressive camp performance in Athens this past weekend.

"Desmond really enjoyed the experience in Athens," his father, Tony Scott said. "He had not competed in any combines or camps this year and was hoping to have a strong showing to let people know more about him. He's been working hard and training hard and felt like he came away from the camp with a good showing. We got a good response from the coaches there."

Did Scott prove anything this time out?

"I think last year Desmond proved himself to be a legitimate athlete," he said. "This year it wasn't a matter of proving himself, but instead going out there and continuing to compete and be the best he can be. He showed that he's pretty consistent in terms of his athletic ability and is much stronger than he was last year. He did have a slight injury to his toe, but that didn't hinder his performance too much."

Following the trip to Georgia, Scott has plans to head a few places.

"In the near future he's going to participate in the All-American combine in Charlotte at Panthers stadium," he said. "After that, we're going to three camps in June to South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. I think that's more than enough for him."

Meanwhile, three colleges already have presented verbal offers to the Carolina star.

"He camped at North Carolina, North Carolina State, Auburn and Clemson last year," he said. "North Carolina, Clemson and NC State gave him verbals at the close of camp. He wasn't 100% when he went to Auburn and wasn't able to compete with the elite athletes. He didn't get the attention there and I think was overlooked a bit.

"Besides them, other schools have been in contact including Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Duke, Michigan and Penn State."

With so much interest, are there any leaders?

"Clearly right now Desmond doesn't have a favorite," he said. "He understands the process much more and is looking at quite a few things in a school. Primarily he'll be looking at the academic programs they offer, he also wants to check out the graduation rates and football program.

"I know he's very interested to see how solid the coaches are and if they are established. It's important to know whether they've been there for a while or are on their way out. He also wants to be a running back and will look at how a school will use him when he gets there. Then the final thing is the offense and how conducive it is to his style of play."

The 2009 prospect continue to work hard both on and off the field.

"His GPA is a 3.5 and he's still doing good with that," he said. "Desmond is also working out hard trying to improve his game and be a role model."

Obviously Scott has the grades to graduate early, is it something they are considering?

"I did inquire about that when he transferred to Hillside from Southern last semester," he said. "Hillside doesn't have an early graduation program set, so right now I don't know if summer school would allow him to do that. If a school is interest, it's definitely something we'll look at and see if it's possible."