“We’ll have five guys now for sure,” Walton said. “Possibly another one. It’s still early so you’ll know a little bit more a week from now when you start playing scrimmages and some other situations. You know how it is, can you do it over a period of time? Can you stack six, seven, eight days in a row? We’ll see what we’ve got.”
After two-plus years of cultivation, Walton’s room is blossoming with returning starters Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun outside and Jordan Hancock back at Nickel.
Sophomore Jermaine Mathews Jr. also picked up valuable experience last year, and junior Lorenzo Styles Jr. and redshirt freshmen Clark Simpson-Hunt are also in the mix.
Then there are true freshmen Aaron Scott Jr., Bryce West and Miles Lockhart, a talented trio that gives Walton nine scholarship cornerbacks.
Walton confirmed Scott Jr., a true freshman from Springfield, could be that sixth player on the verge of proving himself ready for game action.
“Could be. He’s in that mix of stuff,” Walton said. “It’s gotta play out a little bit more. You’ve gotta do it over time. You’ve gotta make sure it’s a true eval on how it’s going on all situations and all days stacked up.”
The 6-foot, 185-pound Scott has been seen working with the second team during open practice sessions, and he impressed receiver Brandon Inniss.
“He’s a good cornerback,” said Inniss, a sophomore trying to earn a spot on the top unit. “He’s very young, but I feel like every day you see him getting better and better.
“He had a couple good plays the other day actually that I was surprised by, and he’s very technically sound, and I just feel like he’ll be very good with it.”
Walton, who won a high-stakes recruiting battle with Michigan and Oregon to land Scott’s verbal commitment last summer, likes the competitiveness and coach-ability Scott has displayed since enrolling in January.
“He has a passion to play the game,” Walton said. “Wants to learn. Has a lot of energy, man. That’s a part of it, you’ve gotta have a passion and energy for the game, so he does a great job with it.”
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