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.
TAYLOR STILL IN THE MIX OR NAW?
Over the last few weeks, there has been a number of different discussions, ideas and/or rumors regarding the recruitment of Richmond, Virginia's Garrett Taylor. A month ago, Taylor was in the class, two weeks ago he was out and this week maybe he's somewhere the middle. He's been planning a trip to Ohio State for an official visit for the last four weeks, a trip that was, if you listen to all the scuttlebutt on the interwebz, not going to happen because the Buckeyes had told him they were "full" at cornerback.
That wasn't entirely true, but I digress. Taylor, despite all the rumors, will visit Ohio State this weekend, but in an unofficial manner. He arrives in Columbus this evening and will stay though the weekend, leaving on Sunday. The question now is not whether or not Taylor will visit, but what does the visit actually mean. The country's 120th-ranked prospect, Taylor didn't play at all during his senior season at St. Christopher's because of a torn ACL suffered in August, so the Buckeyes — like a number of other schools — are really trying to get an understanding of what he can do all over again.
What we know is that because of Taylor's injury situation, he's not the highest-value target remaining on the defensive back board for the Buckeyes. That said, he's a talented player who they offered a long time ago and he's versatile enough to line up at cornerback or safety, which Ohio State also likes. I'm not ruling him out of the class, but he's not the most likely to end up in it at this point either. What can change things?
LET'S TALK BRISCOE
What can change things is the ultimate decision of Juwuan Briscoe, who, despite being ranked as the 45th-best cornerback in the country, Ohio State thinks better suits their defense. Last night, Briscoe shocked some people when he re-opened his recruitment and decommitted from Clemson, three weeks after an official visit to Columbus. It appears that visit could have been against the wishes of Clemson's coaching staff, and that might've caused a rift between the two parties. The Buckeyes, however, are more than willing to take on the speedster from Thomas Stone High School in Waldorf, Maryland.
"We thought he'd stay committed at least until he took his official visit (to Clemson)," one source at Ohio State shared. "Sounds like Clemson dropped him because he visited without telling them."
Asked whether or not that means the Clemson official visit is still in the works, the source was less certain, but he's hoping it doesn't happen.
"There were no plans to visit anywhere else, just Clemson and here," he said. "It doesn't sound like that visit will happen now, hopefully it stays that way. We're glad to take him."
INTRODUCING BRYCE BRAND
One of my favorite recruiting stories this past summer was the emergence of 2015 Detroit quarterback Ryan Brand. A 5-foot-10, 192-pounder from University of Detroit Jesuit, Brand worked tirelessly at three different NFTC venues and earned himself a spot in Nike's The Opening. An Air Force commitment, Brand was unable to get much traction recruiting-wise, despite his big summer. Thanks in part to Ryan's efforts this summer, is younger brother, 2017 defensive tackle Bryce Brand, has already seen his recruitment start to take off. He already holds an offer from Louisville, and a number of other schools like Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Ohio State are showing some early interest.
"It's been a different experience," Ryan Brand, Sr. shared about his son's early recruiting interest. "Bryce has a unique combination of speed and power. Air Force offered him on the spot during a visit with Ryan. His idol is Aaron Donald, and they're very similar."
Bryce, who just finished his sophomore season, is 6-foot-1 and 265 pounds. He stays below 5-seconds in the 40-yard-dash and and benches just under 400 pounds; he was an All-Conference selection in his high school's league this past season. His father says the Buckeyes — specifically Larry Johnson, Sr. — were impressed during Brand's appearance at Friday Night Lights.
"(Bryce) did very well at Friday Night Lights," his father continued. "He and the center in 2016 (Drake Jackson) battled, Bryce was very good. Larry Johnson he really liked Bryce and that he thought he was someone who could play at Ohio State."
AUSTON ROBERTSON 2014 HIGHLIGHT VIDEO
Ohio State received its first defensive line commitment for 2016 last week when Gahanna standout Jonathon Cooper said yes to the Buckeyes. With Cooper in the fold, and the Buckeyes squarely in the mix for Fort Lauderdale sensation Nick Bosa, the questions about numbers for 2016's class, at least along the defensive line, have already begun. Another top prospect the Buckeyes hope ends up in the mix is Fort Wayne's Auston Robertson. Today, Robertson, with offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Michigan and others, released his full junior year highlight tape.
Robertson, at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, is similar in size and style to Rashod Berry, but he may lack the top-end speed the 2015 Ohio State commitment possesses. The Buckeyes, Spartans and Fighting Irish are all the top of Robertson's list, and he'll revisit Columbus next weekend. It will be his third visit to Ohio State this season.
