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.
WEEK IN REVIEW
Here's a look back at a few of the items we talked about this week on Eleven Warriors.
- "The Hurry-Up," our (almost) nightly recruiting recap: 10/12 | 10/13 | 10/14 | 10/15 | 10/16
- Michigan's struggles could be Ohio State's gain
- 2016 North Carolina running back Robert Washington discusses recruiting
- Ohio State offered 2016 Nashville running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn
- Rock took his turn in the mailroom answering your recruiting questions
- Basketball recruiting is picking up in the state of Ohio
- Kierre Hawkins, 2016 wide receiver/h-back, commits to Ohio State
- Prep Tracker: Week Eight
BAKER ON THE CLOCK?
Saturday night in Gainesville, the University of Florida football team appeared listless, inept and basically, uninspired in a 42-13 loss to Missouri. That beatdown has prompted renewed discussions about a potential — and sooner rather than later — axing of Will Muschamp. Muschamp's job status isn't as closely tied to the commitment status of Jerome Baker as it used to be, but a midyear termination isn't going to provide any comfort. Neither is a display like this:
Wow. RT @RedditCFB: Only two Gators walked over to sing the Alma Mater after their loss to Mizzou: pic.twitter.com/2hVe7HJzTU
— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) October 19, 2014
I'm not generally prone to reacting to someone's Twitter activities, but one of those to retweet that particular photo and reaction? Jerome Baker himself.
KIERRE HAWKINS IMPACT
As expected, Maple Heights' 2016 wide receiver Kierre Hawkins is a Buckeye after committing on Saturday. The third Ohio native to commit for 2016, Hawkins is a legitimate 6-foot-4 and has the frame to comfortably hold 225-235 pounds.
The primary question (read: concern) about Hawkins commitment is whether or not he's a player who could push Jake Hausmann away from the Buckeyes, but that's not the case. Ohio State has made Hausmann a priority in their recruiting class and have been clear to him and his family, as well as anyone else who will listen, that they have two totally different visions for each player. Hawkins is a big outside wide receiver or an H-Back threat in the slots, the backfield, etc.; Hausmann is a traditional tight end.
Think Noah Brown's role when he's in the game versus that of Nick Vannett or Jeff Heuerman.
2017 IN-STATE STAR OFFERED
It may not be long until the Buckeyes add their second in-state commitment for 2017. Yesterday, Westerville South star defensive back Marcus Williamson was offered by Ohio State during his visit to the Horseshoe. The offer came from the Ohio State head coach himself.
"Urban Meyer offered me," Williamson said. "He offered me before the game. It wasn't a huge surprise because I thought they might be offering, but it was a crazy feeling to have Urban Meyer offer me in person."
Williamson discussed his recruitment with Eleven Warriors and said a decision could come quickly if an offer was extended. Now, offer in hand, he says he might need a little time to put things in perspective.
"The offer from Ohio State is something special," he continued. "I didn't really think about committing immediately though. It's a huge life decision that needs to be discussed with my parents a little bit more."
I'm not sure how much discussion there will be, but a decision coming soon wouldn't be a huge surprise.
BERRY MAKING A PUSH
Last summer, the name Rashod Berry was one of the hotter names in Ohio recruiting. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound defensive end was one of Mike Vrabel's preferred athletes in Ohio, and although Vrabel's departed, the Buckeyes are still in regular communication with the two-sport (Berry also plays basketball) standout.
Yesterday, Berry took in the Ohio State game as a visitor.
"It was a fun game to watch," Berry shared. "They didn't offer me, but I think it's coming soon."
There's never been any doubt about Berry's talent, he's an athletic (yes, I hate the hyperbole) freak who told 11W he was recently timed running a sub 4.40-40 yard dash. The issue with Berry was more about his commitment to academics, and it appears that is no longer a concern.
"He's fully qualified," one source told Eleven Warriors. "He's a great kid and really has worked hard to improve himself physically and in the classroom."
Berry has ten offers, including Iowa, Syracuse, Minnesota, Indiana and others, but an Ohio State offer would likely be tough for him to turn down.
