Bye weeks give the players a chance to relax and prepare for their next game in two weeks. For the coaches, there is no rest for the weary; they must be out and about, visiting key recruits across the country.
OSU's coaches can't visit everyone, but they do have plans to visit a bunch of key 2015 and 2016 targets this week. There were others that made noise in the recruiting world as well.
Johnson visiting Burrell and Slade on Friday
Defensive line coach Larry Johnson will be in Woodbridge, Virginia on Friday night to check in on a couple of Buckeye targets. The most important is class of 2015 offensive tackle Matt Burrell. Burrell is two weeks removed from attending the Virginia Tech game. He is taking four more officials before deciding sometime before signing day. OSU will have to use their time wisely on Saturday; they won't have much of it.
"The timing of Johnson visiting Matt is important," a source close the Burrell camp told Eleven Warriors. "Matt leaves for Florida State after the game, so Larry Johnson knows what he is doing. Matt is pretty excited for him to come."
Matt Burrell's coach sent me evidence that Burrell (left) likes Ohio State.
I believe Florida State poses the biggest threat to Ohio State for Burrell's commitment. If the family really enjoys Tallahassee and he is blown away, this one could be interesting.
Johnson has another reason to visit Woodbridge: he will be there to watch 2018 running back Ricky Slade. Slade is the starting running back behind a road-grading offensive line led by Matt Burrell. A source told us that Ricky is looking forward to the visit and so is Johnson.
"Ricky is so excited for Coach Johnson to come," the source said. "Ricky did not miss one work out or day of practice after sustaining an injury in his last game, so because he is a freshman, he really wants to show Coach Johnson what he can do. Larry is excited to see how well he plays live."
Gallimore ready to cut list and visit Ohio State
2015 Canadian defensive lineman Neville Gallimore announced on Twitter on Tuesday that he would be cutting his list of schools down to five. The Buckeyes are likely on that list.
Top 5 schools coming out soon.
— Neville G (@Path2Greatwork) September 16, 2014
Gallimore hopes to visit Columbus this fall, and there's one game in particular he has an eye on. It hasn't been finalized, though.
"I am focusing on coming to 'The Game'," Gallimore told 11W. "Nothing is set in stone yet, but that is the game I'm focusing on to come to. Hopefully it all works out so I can come."
Gallimore is one of the top prospects in North America, a star in the making. His recruitment is wide open, which makes any and all advantages welcome. Working in Ohio State's favor are his relationships with current commits Justin Hilliard and Jashon Cornell. Cornell was Gallimore's roommate at The Opening, so you can bet he was talking to him about the Buckeyes. I still like Ohio State's chances with Gallimore.
Upshur enjoys visit from coaches.
Tight end has been a position in great need of improvement since Urban Meyer took over at the helm. That ought to change over the next two recruiting classes. The 2015 class contains Josh Moore and A.J. Alexander (who can play tight end if needed), and the 2016 class is one of the best tight end classes in recent history. Imhotep (Pa.) High School's Naseir Upshur is one of the best in the nation for 2016.
After receiving an offer in August, Upshur showed some interest in Ohio State. Ed Warinner checked up on the Philadelphia star, and Upshur took to Twitter to show how much he likes the coaching staff.
Ohio state probably have one of the coolest coaching staff's ..
— Pop (@NaseirUpshur) September 17, 2014
"Coach Warinner stopped by the other day and we talked about how I would fit in and stuff," Upshur told 11W. "I really like talking to the coaches there at Ohio State. The things we talk about are just neat. I am hoping to get to a game at Ohio State very soon."
Coaches Hit the DMV Area
The DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia) area is a huge recruiting ground for Ohio State. Wide receivers coach Zach Smith was in Maryland the other day, where he checked in with 2016 wide receiver Steve Smothers.
"Coach Smith came to my school the other day," Smothers said. "He told me that I needed to visit soon and that he was waiting for me to commit [laughs]. I am visiting soon, I'm actually visiting for the Michigan game."
Smothers has named West Virginia as his early leader but said he has always liked Ohio State. The Buckeyes would likely need the visit to be a serious contender for Smothers' services.
Another DMV prospect that Ohio State is going to check in on is Dwayne Haskins Jr., who confirmed that Larry Johnson will attend his game on Friday.
After Notre Dame visit, Ohio State still on top for Onwenu.
Class of 2016 defensive tackle Michael Onwenu, another Cass Tech star, is being heavily recruited by Ohio State. He named Ohio State his leader early in the process and after visiting South Bend for the big Notre Dame-Michigan game, that is still the case.
"The atmosphere for the Notre Dame game was really cool!" Onwenu told 11W. "I got to sit with the students which was awesome. They just started to show some love, but I did enjoy the game. I'd still say Ohio State is number one."
Onwenu hopes to visit Ohio State soon. His schedule, along with Ohio State's, is making it difficult."I am trying to schedule a visit for a night game, maybe for the Illinois game butI have to check my schedule first," he said.
