XICHIGAN WEEK
Ohio State blows out Indiana, 38-15. Now, it's time to do the same to That Team Up North.
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.
LANDERS FLIPS TO BUCKEYES
As was announced earlier this evening, 2015 defensive tackle Rob Landers has flipped his commitment to Ohio State. He is the 24th member of the 2015 class; here are some reactions from future classmates. Stay tuned for more on Landers.
GALLIMORE DECISION DAY COMING
Canada Prep 2015 defensive tackle Neville Gallimore will announce his college choice on January 3rd at the US Army All-American Bowl according to Scout.com analyst Allen Trieu. That is, more or less, accurate according to his Gallimore's head coach, Geoff McArthur.
"I think so," McArthur told Eleven Warriors. "Or right after. He's definitely got some options."
Those options include Ohio State, Oklahoma, Florida State, Auburn and a host other schools who've offered the 6-foot-3, 300-pound lineman. He's taken official visits to each of those four schools and still, the Canadian isn't much closer to a decision. Three weeks from a choice, roughly seven from signing day, still plenty of time according to McArthur.
"He has a lot of time to get to know the coaches from the programs that have offered him," the Canada Prep coach said. "He has to weigh wins versus losses, the environment of the programs and how well he relates to the coaches and players."
Gallimore visited Ohio State during their big recruiting weekend at the end of November against Michigan. The Buckeyes currently sit as the favorite to land him according to the 247Sports.com "Crystal Ball."
WIDE OUT SITUATION SETTLED?
We discussed it briefly last week, but to reiterate: the Buckeyes are not likely to add anymore wide receivers for 2015. With Alex Stump in the fold, and the versatility of players like Eric Glover-Williams, Denzel Ward and AJ Alexander, they're comfortable with their current standing.
After the Buckeyes' visit to see Lawrence Cager last week, I shared that it was just not going to happen between Ohio State and the 6-foot-5 Cager. He is not ready to make a decision and the Buckeyes, with dwindling scholarships were not going to continue pursuing him knowing he'd wait longer and with positions of greater need still out there. Last night, that was confirmed when Cager released a new list and the Buckeyes were not included.
The reasons given for why the Buckeyes are not on the list, whether it's a coaching change or anything else, is just window-dressing. This one was over a week ago no matter how you slice it.
DETROIT BUCK CITY?
Last week, Detroit Cass Tech standout Mike Weber committed to the Buckeyes. As you undoubtedly know, Weber came the third Technician to choose Ohio State in the last two recruiting classes, joining Damon Webb, a freshman for the Buckeyes, and fellow 2015 commit Josh Alabi.
Ohio State has been turning up the pressure on 2016 five-star linebacker Daelin Hayes, who transferred into Cass Tech from California this past fall. A USC commitment, Hayes has been hearing regularly from the Buckeyes as they've been a consistent presence in the hallways of Cass Tech recruiting others, including Hayes' classmate Michael Onwenu. Onwenu says the Buckeyes are still near the top of his list, and it's possible that Kerry Coombs, who one Detroit-area head coach called "the best recruiter I've ever met," could land another pair of Cass Tech stars next year. The Buckeyes are working hard to dent what has long been a pipeline for their rivals up north.
Lavert Hill, a 2016 cornerback who earned a scholarship from the Buckeyes while at Cass Tech, recently transferred to Detroit Martin Luther King. He is one of a pair at MLK who Ohio State will continue to aggressively pursue, along with 2016 wide receiver Donnie Corley. Corley, one of the country's hottest wide receiver recruits, claims the Buckeyes as his latest offer and will likely pick up opportunities with many of the other "name" programs soon. Alabama and Oregon have both made recent overtures to the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder.
The Buckeyes will be very familiar with Detroit in the coming years.
SEE THE FUTURE OF BUCKEYE FOOTBALL
Thanks to Marc Givler and OhioPreps.com you can get a real good look at two future Buckeyes, Denzel Ward and Jerome Baker. These highlights are from the Division II and Division IV state championship games at Ohio Stadium in early December.
Baker, who starred at quarterback, running back and linebacker for the Bengals does it all on film and it's easy to see why he's regarded so highly. Ward, one of the unheralded members of the Elite '15 had an incredible senior season at wide receiver and defensive back for Nordonia, who fell short against Cincinnati La Salle in the state finals.
