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.
DA'VON HAMILTON HEARS FROM BUCKEYES - PLANS VISIT
Last week we checked in on Pickerington defensive lineman Da'Von Hamilton, who told us that he had not heard from the Buckeyes and was still committed to Pittsburgh. As of last night, all kinds of things had changed.
"I got a call from Coach (Luke) Fickell last week," Hamilton told Eleven Warriors. "He was just asking me about my recruiting and when we could set up a possible visit."
That visit may very well be this weekend, although Hamilton has not made up his mind just yet. The Buckeyes, searching for defensive tackles in their 2015 class, will host Canada Prep standout Neville Gallimore this weekend and hope to get Missouri's Terry Beckner, Jr. on campus sometime soon as well. Hamilton is a 6-foot-3, 285-pound defensive tackle at Pickerington Central; he said he remains interested in Pittsburgh, Kentucky, and of course, Ohio State.
RUNNING BACK SCENARIOS ABOUND
I'll preface this segment, as I almost always do when discussing running back recruiting with this disclaimer: Ohio State has not conceded the fight for Damien Harris. The Buckeyes have been recruiting Harris as hard as anyone for almost two years and are still hopeful that he gets back on campus before his mid-December decision. That said, as things appear to be trending away from the Buckeyes on that front, the options at running back for 2015 are still bountiful. Here's where things stand, as best we know, right now.
After Harris, it's a virtual toss-up between Detroit Cass Tech's Mike Weber and Hubbard's L.J. Scott. Weber will visit Ohio State, although the exact date isn't set. There's an off-chance he could be in Columbus this weekend as a number of Cass Tech underclassmen will be in attendance, but that's being kept fairly quiet as of present. It's my opinion that Weber, the former Michigan commit, will visit this weekend but will try and maintain the hush-hush nature out of deference for his former future school.
As for Scott, if he visits Ohio State this weekend, then there's a chance we see movement with his recruitment after it. If he doesn't, chalk it up to over and done with. Ironically, that decision could positively impact Ohio State's chances with Weber.
Here's where things get interesting: if Scott sticks with Sparty and Weber opts for a non-Ohio State future, what do the Buckeyes do? Do they go all-in on a player like Ke'Shawn Vaughn (visiting officially 12/13) or do they scrap the running back pursuit all together in 2015? As of right now, the odds are probably best to land Weber, but it's hardly a slam dunk.
There's a chance the country's top running back for 2016, New Jersey's Kareem Walker, could be on campus this weekend; is this the start of another furious pursuit?
With Hubbard's George Hill already in the fold, and the more-than-likely chance that North Ridgeville's Demario McCall joins him, how can the Buckeyes continue chasing Walker or Robert Washington? Simple. Different and defined roles with current team examples.
Here's how it could shake out if the Buckeyes didn't take a running back in 2015. Think of it like this: Jalin Marshall : George Hill, Dontre Wilson : DeMario McCall and Ezekiel Elliott : Walker, Washington or someone of their ilk.
GEORGIA COMMIT STILL REPRESENTING BUCKEYES
Sometimes, even on the players that don't commit to your school, you make an impact. Check out recent Georgia commit Rashad Roundtree's updated Twitter moniker this week.
There's no "M" in there for one reason and one reason only: it's The Game week. Roundtree picked Georgia over Ohio State on November 7th, but it's clear he's still got a little Buckeye love in him.
BURRELL SENIOR FILM
New Buckeye commitment Matt Burrell got some good news yesterday.
AYYE I WILL BE IN OHIO FOR THE GAME !!!! O-H!!!
— Matthew Burrll Jr! (@HeaftyLefty) November 25, 2014
He also gave Ohio State fans something to watch as they prepare for this weekend's hotly contested matchup with Michigan: his full and newly released senior highlights.
