Welcome to The Hurry-Up, which runs Sunday through Thursday, serving as your last stop for recruiting news and notes nightly. We'll recap the day as it happened and preview the days ahead while keeping our ear to the ground on the Ohio State recruiting scene.
KIRK UNSURE IF HE'LL VISIT
Christian Kirk was one key player noticeably absent from Ohio Stadium this weekend, despite being one of the primary 2015 prospects the Buckeyes wanted in attendance. Kirk, who visited Columbus twice on his own dime this past winter and summer, said he's not sure at this point if he'll be back. He feels that since he's familiar with Ohio State, he might be better served taking an official visit to a school he's not been to as frequently. He does have two of his official visits scheduled at this point, and the first is this coming weekend.
"I'm going to Texas A&M this weekend and Auburn on October 4th," Kirk told Eleven Warriors. "I still feel good about Ohio State, but I am not sure that an official visit there would make me feel any different about them than I already do. There's still a possibility I'll make an official there, I'm just not sure yet."
Sounds and feels like the Buckeyes' chances of landing the speedster from Arizona are shrinking, unfortunately.
DON'T SWEAT IT
Lots of people asking about it, so here it is, from a source close to Ohio State's side of the Josh Sweat recruitment.
"Things went great for Josh on his visit," the source shared with 11W. "But I still don't believe that we're real with (Sweat)."
Getting an official visit from the nation's top-ranked overall player was a huge step for the Buckeyes, but being his first visit means there's a long way left to go, but the Buckeyes are not feeling optimistic that they'll be able to land him at this point.
MORE INSIGHT INTO BURRELL
Last night, The Hurry-Up touched on Matt Burrell's weekend visit from someone close to his recruitment.
"The whole family enjoyed the experience," the source told Eleven Warriors. "I did not get to talk to them long, but when I did, it was all positive things. I want to reiterate how important the whole family going was. It is very important that the parents and both brothers had fun."
Now, a little further insight from his father, Matt Burrell, Sr. seems to corroborate last night's tidbit.
"It was a very nice trip," the elder Burrell shared with 11W. "It was one of the best places I've ever been to watch a game, win or lose."
With Ohio State as one his top schools, the Burrell's are considering Columbus as a destination not just for the 2015 standout, but as a second-home for the entire family. The comfort of his family with the Buckeyes' staff is of paramount importance.
"We have good relationships with the entire coaching staff at Ohio State," he continued. "It's a fabulous university from what we've always seen and it's football royalty. (Ohio State coaches) always do a great job of focusing on the bigger picture. That's the most important part and that's why Ohio State remains in our top schools."
THE TORRANCE GIBSON ROLLERCOASTER
Last week, Torrance Gibson was scheduled to visit Ohio State. Then, Torrance Gibson changed his official visit because he and his American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) teammates had a game against rival Miramar. The Patriots won their heated battle with Miramar, thanks in large part to Gibson who engineered a second-half comeback after being down 26-10 in the third quarter. A big win for American Heritage following last week's devastating loss to St. Thomas Aquinas and Nick Bosa.
Unfortunately for Gibson, it appears that a part of reason for that early deficit could be directly on the broad shoulders of No. 6. Gibson was benched in the first half of the game for disciplinary reasons, according to the Miami Herald.
“We want Torrance to become the leader we know he can be for this team,” American Heritage coach Mike Rumph told the Herald. “The minute he started to do that was toward end of third quarter. I hope it’s a valuable lesson. My job is to prepare him for college and teach him that if you do the right things, you will be rewarded for it.”
Good job, Coach Rumph. Set the standard and follow through. Here's hoping that Gibson continues working on things on and off the field. His prodigious talent will keep him in the spotlight, and with that comes an increased need for discipline in his endeavors.
NEW 2016 WR OFFER GOES OUT LATE MONDAY EVENING
Ohio State continues their search for playmakers in the 2016 class with an offer tonight to Hasise Dubois, a four-star wide receiver from Wayne, New Jersey. Dubois currently has offers from Rutgers, Temple, and Boston College but you can expect the Ohio State offer means an incoming offer from Penn State is likely soon as well.
At 6-foot-2, 200 pound, Dubois is a big-bodied wide receiver with good speed and body control. You can check out some of his highlights here.
