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.
WEBER IS PRIORITY ONE, CAN BUCKEYES CONVINCE HIM OF THAT?
Let's call a spade a spade: for the majority of Ohio State's 2015 recruiting, the priority at running back has been Kentucky's Damien Harris. That's not an insult to anyone else, just the cold, hard facts. Damien Harris is the country's top running back prospect and well...he's at the top of the recruiting board for a lot of teams. However, as teams often do in recruiting, the Buckeyes are adjusting and turning their focus to another 2015 star running back — Detroit's Mike Weber — and right now he's the priority for Ohio State.
The hard part will be convincing Weber of that new fact, because there's no doubt that any good college recruiter is reminding him often that he was a "backup plan" for Ohio State. For Kerry Coombs and the Buckeyes, it's about letting him know that doesn't matter. The here and the now is what matters. He was, after all, a "backup plan" for Michigan, as well, was he not?
Weber will visit Notre Dame officially on the weekend of December 13th and says he's still planning on an official to Columbus, as well as three other schools along the way. That of course doesn't jive with the idea that he'd decide at the US Army All-American game, which has been rumored, unless he plans on taking trips post-commitment. Ohio State is the only school heavily involved with Weber that does not have a running back already committed in 2015, and although that's not the only thing that matters, it can't hurt as Urban Meyer and his crew try and underscore the need for Weber.
ED WARINNER'S RECRUITING CHOPS
As mentioned yesterday afternoon, Ohio State's offensive line recruiting since 2012 has been pretty darn good. This year's group, which currently sits at four lineman committed, could end up with six different signees come February. While Urban Meyer's presence at Ohio State is vital in all aspects of Buckeye recruiting, Ed Warinner's offensive line group is an area where Meyer often takes a step back. Yes, he makes the final decision on whether a player is in or out, but perhaps no coach at Ohio State has Meyer's respect — and his ear when it comes to evaluating talent — more than Warinner. Why? There's pretty strong evidence that suggests the 31-year coaching veteran knows what he's doing.
Ohio State realizes Ed Warinner's value: Can the Buckeyes hold off what is sure to be some serious suitors this off-season?
Warinner knows what he wants from a recruit and expects, and accepts, only that.
"He's an intense coach," one uncommitted 2015 prospect shared with Eleven Warriors. "He's going to push you to be your best and accepts nothing less."
Perhaps more important than Warinner's ability to evaluate talent is his ability to take raw materials and turn out not only better football players, but better people. One source at Ohio State was very clear about it: Warinner is important to Ohio State's recent, current, and future success.
"Corey Linsley would not be starting in the NFL if it weren't for Ed Warinner, he may not have even finished his college career," the source said. "The job he's done this year? It's incredible, and we hope he never leaves. He's done so good a job that it's almost impossible to think he won't get an opportunity down the line to run his own program. Keeping him at Ohio State is very important."
/Agreed.
DIVISION III AND IV BUCKEYES GET THEIR HONORS
Last night we highlighted the Division I and Division II Buckeye commitments who earned first or second team All-State honors, and today we'll discuss Division III and Division IV honorees. While the schools may be smaller, the accolades are equally earned.
To no one's surprise, Athens quarterback Joe Burrow was named first team All-Ohio and the state's co-Offensive Player of the Year (shared with Norwalk's Breck Turner and Hubbard's L.J. Scott) in Division III. With almost 4,000 yards passing and just about 600 on the ground, Burrow and his 63 touchdowns (57 passing, five rushing, one receiving that he threw to himself) also added to his trophy case tonight, winning Mr. Football in Ohio.
Hubbard 2016 running back George Hill, who splits carries with Scott at Hubbard, was named second team All-Ohio.
In Division IV, Cleveland Benedictine two-way stud Jerome Baker was named first team All-State at linebacker and also named co-Defensive Player of the Year. The Buckeye commit also stars at running back for the Bengals.
Here are the full lists Division III and Division IV honorees.
JOSH SWEAT DECISION DAY LOOMING
Josh Sweat, the freakish 6-foot-5, 240-pound defensive end from Chesapeake, Virginia and former top-ranked player in the country, has set his commitment date.
Five-star recruit Josh Sweat sets decision date. http://t.co/Dvjw9sJRtg @Noles247 @Mansell247 @VTScoop247 @Bill_Kurelic @CNee247
— Ryan Bartow (@RyanBartow) December 3, 2014
Sweat officially visited Ohio State on September 6th and while the Buckeyes remain a certifiable long-shot to land him, the effort remains. With a decision next Wednesday, Ohio State hopes to make one last visit to see Sweat early next week. Expect a trio of Buckeye coaches to head south: Larry Johnson, Sr., Zach Smith and Urban Meyer. Usually, a decision date being set indicates a choice has already been made, but since Sweat is an early enrollee, he needs to make a decision soon and Ohio State is hoping to make it interesting. The need for a top-tier defensive end like Sweat grew exponentially last week as the Buckeyes learned they'd in fact be without Noah Spence in 2015, and that's no doubt an angle Ohio State will hope that entices him.
Sweat missed most of the 2014 season recovering from a dislocated kneecap. Virginia Tech remains the odds-on favorite to land the country's 6th-ranked prospect.
