Five-star defensive tackle Justin Scott flips from Ohio State to Miami

COLUMBUS — Ohio State is back to 22 commitments as five-star defensive tackle Justin Scott has announced a change of heart: he's now committed to Miami.

The news comes as a major surprise to the Buckeyes. Sources in Columbus told Dotting the 'Eyes that there was no indication of this happening as late as Wednesday afternoon. Miami was one of the programs that hosted the country's No.1-ranked defensive tackle for an official visit this summer but most believed his intention was to stay close to home as he made a decision between Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame.

Now, months later, that plan is out the window and Scott is heading to South Beach. The Hurricanes continued to recruit Scott and his family and significantly increased their NIL "push" to a level that Ohio State wasn't going to be able to meet and, in this new era of college football, that's the most important thing on the recruiting trail.

Scott was one part of what had been a tremendous 1-2 punch for Larry Johnson and the Buckeyes were excited to team him up with fellow five-star defensive line prospect Eddrick Houston in the Big Ten.

Ohio State, as mentioned, is back to 22 commitments. Former Virginia Tech commitment Eric Mensah is the lone defensive tackle verballed to the Buckeyes but Ohio State is still working on players like Ernest Willor and Carlon Jones.