The University of Tulsa gained a huge commitment this past weekend, literally, in 6-foot-3 and 300-pound defensive lineman Kenny Scott of T. L. Hanna High School in Anderson, South Carolina. Scott, who had been offered by SEC and ACC schools, was recruited by recently-hired Tulsa assistant coach, Derek Jones, who is originally from South Carolina.

"Kenny and his mom and dad visited Tulsa this past weekend, and they really enjoyed the visit," said T. L. Hanna Head Coach Scott Parker. "He decided to commit on his visit."

"He was being recruited by Coach Jones while he was at Middle Tennessee State, and when he got to Tulsa, he called and started recruiting Kenny for Tulsa."

"Kenny was offered by LSU in March of 2005 and he and his mother visited there," Coach Parker added. "But they didn't like the visit that much and wanted to look at other schools. Duke had made him a verbal offer and Georgia Tech was showing interest as well."

Coach Parker stated that Scott played on both the offensive and defensive lines last season, but will play on the defensive line for Tulsa.

"Kenny started all ten games for us on offense at the center position," Parker explained. "On defense, we used him all over the line, from nose to defensive end to tackle. He's 6-foot-3 and 300-pounds with good speed and exceptional strength. But he's not even reached his peak, in terms of potential. In the next few years, he should really be a player."

"He's a great player with great feet. When he was a freshman, he had no shoulders, but has hit the weights and is now huge. He's also a very intelligent kid who plays smart. He had 112 tackles for us last year, with 40 of those being sacks or for losses."

Scott was recently named as an all-state player in South Carolina and is ranked No. 36 in the state by Rivals.com.

"Kenny didn't get all the honors he deserved this past year, nor did our other players," said Coach Parker. "In the previous two years, we were 11-2 each year, and then this year we went 4-7 and got snubbed in the honors category. Kenny did earn all-area honors as a junior and was named an all-state player by one of the South Carolina newspapers this season."

With Scott's mother having ties to Oklahoma, she was excited about their visit.

"Coach Jones wasn't aware that Kenny's mother had graduated from Oklahoma University and ran track there," Parker stated. "When Kenny and his mom visited LSU, she had told me that the visit didn't go that well, but after the Tulsa visit, she had so many good things written down about their visit that it could have filled a novel."

"I know they were impressed with the academics at Tulsa. Kerry's dream has been to become an engineer and minor in computer science. He's a good student and feels like Tulsa can help him fulfill that dream."

Scott plans on signing his letter of intent at his high school on Wednesday.

"We have three players who will be signing on Wednesday," concluded Coach Parker. "One will be signing with the University of Texas, one with Kentucky, and Kenny with Tulsa. We plan on having the signing at 2:00 pm in the library at the school."