ATHOL SPRINGS, N.Y. — Jimmy Scott has always been a physical specimen.
"It’s been like that since I was a baby," he said. "Just running into people. Running into things. I was always a head-knocker kid."
It makes sense that he gravitated toward two of the most physical positions in football: defensive end and running back. His top preference was always to play offense, and he excelled at running back during his two years at St. Joe's.
Division I coaches had a different idea; they were more intrigued by Jimmy at defensive end. He was flattered by the attention, but it was an adjustment to learn that playing running back at the DI level was unlikely.
"It definitely was a shell-shocker. You work so hard to be a running back, and then they say they want to try a different position," he said. "But talking to people around me, this was a once-in-a-lifetime situation."
Jimmy adjusted his diet and workout routine accordingly, cutting out fast food and relying on home-cooked meals.
"I was in the weight room every day. First one in, last one out. That was my mentality," he said. "Once the results came in, I got addicted to that. And I never stopped from the end of my sophomore year to now."
Jimmy's results included more muscle on his 6'3" frame, and 22 scholarship offers from Division I schools.
"I see the grind and the time and effort that my peers put in, and I put in too, just to be where I’m at," he said. "Being faced with these blessings is definitely a great opportunity, and I never took for granted."
The disruptive defensive dynamo picked Pittsburgh, a Power Five program just three hours from his home in Cheektowaga and minutes away from his mother’s side of the family.
"I called one of my uncles when I committed, and he bust out crying," Jimmy said. "Just how proud he was of me, and how he watched my journey from being a baby until now."
His next obligation is helping his family members get tickets for games at Heinz Field, the home of Pitt football and the Steelers.
"I’ll probably go down for a home-cooked meal, and they’ll ask me," he said with a smile. "I won’t have a problem giving them the tickets."