Georgia’s sack leader is coming to Miami to terrorize opposing offenses.
In this installment of The Recruiting Notebook, we meet yet another talented EDGE rusher to join Jason Taylor’s pass rushing wrecking crew: Savannah (GA) Benedictine Military Academy 4-star EDGE Herbert Scroggins III.
Bio
In the effort to add elite edge rushing talent to the roster, the Miami Hurricanes turned their attention to and recruiting effort to Savannah (GA) Benedictine Military Academy EDGE Herbert Scroggins III.
Nicknamed “Third”, since he’s the 3rd of his name, Scroggins is a powerfully built 6’2” 235lbs. He’s got muscles on muscles, and should be able to add plenty of good, functional size to his already impressive frame.
Scroggins made his varsity debut as a freshman, but it wasn’t anything really noteworthy. The same can’t be said for his breakout sophomore season, however. Scroggins III had a massive season and put himself on the radar. 93 tackles, 16.5 TFLs, 10.5 sacks, 6 QB hurries, 2 PBUs, 4 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery. Yeah, like I said, massive numbers.
Even after that massive sophomore season, Scroggins III only garnered low level offers from Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina, Toledo and Georgia State the following spring. So, he went back to work, perfecting his craft and lifting weights to put himself in a position to be a blue chip recruit down the line.
Scroggins III, who also plays forward on Bendictine’s basketball team, continued his strong play on the gridiron as a junior. And, through that season, big time college football powers noticed, and started extending scholarship offers. While Scroggins III was posting 84 tackles, 10 TFLs, 12 sacks, 14 QB hurries, 3 PBUs, 1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries as a junior, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia all extended him scholarship offers.
Miami jumped into the fray in January following his junior year, but they weren’t alone. North Carolina, Southern Cal, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Auburn, Mizzou, and Alabama were among the teams who also saw the talent and extended Scroggins III scholarship offers as well.
Scroggins III took unofficial visits to Tennessee and Auburn before setting up his spring Official Visits. After trips to Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Miami (in that order), Scroggins III saw all he needed to see. He committed to Miami a week after his OV to Coral Gables.
Recruiting Ranking
On the 247sports composite, Scroggins III is a 4-star prospect, the #26 EDGE nationally, #40 in the State of Georgia, and #291 player overall in this class.
Scroggins III committed to Miami over a robust list of 26 scholarship offers from around the country, which included Auburn, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina, among many others.
As A Player
The first thing you notice about Scroggins III is his size. A well-built 6’2” 235lbs, Scroggins III cuts an impressive figure in his uniform. He has the frame to add 20ish pounds (maybe more) while not sacrificing his athleticism. Scroggins III has a solid wingspan, so he should be able to stay at EDGE moving forward.
Scroggins III has good quickness and bend off the edge. He’s used that to great success, and those traits will be the foundation of his success at the collegiate level as well. He able to get around opposing linemen in passing situations with these traits, but he’ll need to add hand work to be able to get opposing linemen off of him in college.
One of Scroggins III’s go-to moves is the swim move. He uses it in both pass rush and run defense situations. It’s a good move, but he can add more tools to his bag moving forward. Scroggins III is very strong compared to most HSFB players, so the bull rush is something that works for him as well. That can continue to be one of his moves, but he’ll have to add more strength for it to be a go-to weapon for him at the next level.
Scroggins III plays with a tireless motor, relentlessly chasing plays down all over the field. That kind of effort is the foundation of Miami’s identity, and will be a great addition to the defensive unit.
Strengths
- Muscular build
- High motor
- Speed/Quickness
- Productivity
Weaknesses
- Needs to add strength
- Can develop more pass rush moves
- Can be a more consistent/disciplined run defender
To see the kind of player Miami is getting in Scroggins III, check out his junior highlights below:
Miami Outlook
Note: changed this up from just a freshman-season outlook to a career outlook for each player a few years ago and we’re continuing that style this year as well.
Miami has no compunction about playing talented freshmen who show they have the ability to contribute early. Rueben Bain Jr. and Cole McConathy II have both played well as freshmen in the last 2 years at EDGE for Miami, and Scroggins III can join that group in finding his way onto the field and not redshirting if his ability dictates.
Overall, I think Scroggins III will be a rotational player if not starter on Miami’s DL through the course of his career. This is a position where it’s common to play 10-12 players throughout the course of a year, so Scroggins III should absolutely be targeting that as his goal, at a minimum. The talent is there for a bigger role, but Scroggins III’s individual development, as well as the development of other, older blue chip prospects already on the roster, will dictate whether he’s an ensemble cast member or star of the show.
That’s it for this installment of The Recruiting Notebook.
Go Canes