The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
EUCLID DUO MAKE D-I COMMITMENTS
Scott lands with Kentucky, while Reese pledges future to Akron
A pair of junior Euclid football players locked in their college futures this week.
Armond Scott, a wide receiver and defensive back, committed to Kentucky on May 3. Lineman Alex Reese made his pledge to Akron four days later.
Scott caught 23 passes for 580 yards and 10 touchdowns during Euclid’s 2019 season. The Panthers finished the year 9-3 as they fell to St. Edward in a regional semifinal.
A 6-foot-3 wideout and corner, Scott said he chose Kentucky over interest from programs including Michigan State, Iowa State and Wisconsin. The Wildcats’ coaches stayed in touch with him on a daily basis, which helped them earn his pledge.
“I was building a relationship with the Kentucky staff, a good relationship,” Scott said. “I feel like that’s a school that I like and I can fit well in the system there. I’m feeling real good about it.”
Kentucky went 8-5 in 2019, a season that culminated in a victory over Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl. Scott plans to study medicine and pursue a career as a surgeon or in nursing.
Becoming an SEC player fulfilled a lifelong goal.
“It feels great,” Scott said. “That’s what I dreamed of all my life, to play in the SEC. Now I’m playing in it. It’s a dream come true.”
At 6-foot-4, 255 pounds, Reese plays on the offensive and defensive lines for Coach Jeff Rotsky at Euclid.
Reese visited Akron on the school’s junior day last year, where he left impressed with the campus and coaching staff’s commitment to him.
“I feel like that’s a school that I like and I can fit well in the system there. I’m feeling real good about it.”
He picked the Zips over offers from Ohio and Robert Morris.
“They kept in touch with me every day,” Reese said. “Every day, there was mail coming in, and I just felt like it was home for me to
play. Also, it’s close to home for my mother because knowing what my mother’s been through, I would love for her to be at games.”
Akron went 0-12 in 2019, the program’s first year under former John Carroll coach Tom Arth. Reese plans to study nursing at Akron.
Having committed to play college football, Reese
looks forward to putting together a strong senior season for the Panthers — if sports occur this fall.
“Now that I got that as a goal in my life, I just know all the other things I’ve got to make sure I get done,” Reese said. “Grades, stuff in the house, stuff like that I’ve got to get done, pay attention and stay focused.”
Scott and Reese agreed their experience at Euclid helped place them in position to earn college opportunities and prepared them for the next level.
“I think college is going to be easy for me because I had Coach Rotsky,” Scott said. “He does a lot of things I feel like college coaches do. I’m going to be very prepared for college.”