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.
BUCKEYE WORLD
It's a new world, isn't it? The funny thing about winning a national championship is that it not only yields immediate and short-term satisfaction but provides an undeniable boost to a college football program's long-term future. The Buckeyes, who've been the standard-bearer in a mediocre-at-best Big Ten for much of the last eight years have — regrettably — helped contribute to the league's lackluster image after disappointing performances when they found themselves in marquee match-ups. National title losses in 2007 and 2008, an embarrassing loss to USC in 2008 and subpar efforts in bowl games coupled with national media-drive systemic flogging post "Tat-gate" contributed to the league's failing image.
Now, three years later — and with the probation from those NCAA penalties coming to a close — the Buckeyes are national champions on the verge of getting back to a full 85-man scholarship number for the first time in the Urban Meyer era. While three scholarships may not seem that important, the numbers become necessary as college football seasons grow longer and longer. Ohio State's 2014 class, national champions as freshman and redshirting freshmen, includes a group of young men who consciously went against the grain and matriculated to Columbus with one goal in mind: bring the championship back to Ohio. Players like Raekwon McMillan, Darius Slade, Jalyn Holmes, Damon Webb, Johnnie Dixon, Curtis Samuel, Demetrius Knox, Jamarco Jones, Sean Nuernberger, Stephen Collier, Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown; players who could have gone anywhere but chose the Buckeyes because of a belief in Urban Meyer, his staff, his message and his methods were rewarded with a title last night and their choices will pay huge dividends down the road for the Buckeyes. In fact, it's already started...
NEXT MAN UP: THE MOTTO
In case you missed it last night — and I presume a few of you might've in your preparations for the national championship game — the Buckeyes got a pretty huge 2016 commitment last night. A 6-foot-1, 210 pound junior from De Paul Catholic High School in Wayne, New Jersey, Kareem Walker is the top-ranked running back in the class and the ninth-ranked overall player in the class. Less than four days after missing on the top-ranked 2015 running back (Damien Harris) Urban Meyer and his staff struck gold in Walker, and not just because of his considerable talent.
"He's really good," one source at Ohio State said of Walker. "Just a great looking running back with a ton of upside. It's also big to keep getting into New Jersey, especially with the players that state has for 2016. This kid could have gone anywhere he wanted, he's type of guy you see Bama going up and poaching. It's a huge statement for him to pick Ohio State."
"The players" New Jersey has that the source was referencing? Sixth-ranked quarterback Jarrett Guarantano and defensive tackle Rashan Gary, the second-ranked overall player in the country. Walker is very close with both of those players, but he said he won't be trying to pressure them into choosing the Buckeyes during a conference call this afternoon.
"Those guys, do they like Ohio State? True. But at the same time, they are gonna make the best decision that's for them," Walker told a host of recruiting writers today. "I'm not gonna try to pressure – I'll try to tell them to come. But I'm not gonna go overboard because at the end of the day, that's their decision. They've got to do what's best for them."
LET'S GO TO THE SUNSHINE STATE
So, Kareem Walker wasn't the only big-time future prospect who committed to Ohio State on National Title Monday, even if he's the one worth getting more immediately excited about. There's no reason to bemoan the Twitter pledges of 2017 Florida stars Shaun Wade and Bruce Judson, but I encourage some trepidation when it comes to the celebration.
Wade, who committed yesterday afternoon, is a legitimate potential star. He's been a standout at Jacksonville's Trinity Christian already, a school that pumps out Division One prospects. It's a football program that Ohio State has been working hard to build relationships with and that almost paid off when Ben Edwards committed to Ohio State last February, even if his commitment was shorter than most Hollywood marriages.
"The Wade thing is odd," our source shared. "He's really good though. It's going to take quite an effort to keep him. It's Florida man, early commitments mean almost nothing, especially this far out. It's nice to get their commitments, and we certainly won't turn them down, but we know we've gotta keep recruiting them like they're uncommitted."
Judson, a high school teammate of 2015 early enrollee Jamel Dean, has been considered a Buckeye "lean" for sometime, but he had slowed his recruitment a bit prior to last evening's surprising announcement. He pulled no punches as to why last night spurred his choice.
"The game," Judson told Eleven Warriors. "I didn't talk to (anyone from Ohio State) about it. It was a surprise."
Judson's commitment status is less-than-solid, but he's not shy about what the Buckeye name means in Florida right now.
"It's a movement in Florida," Judson said. "Guys see what they're doing up there. My recruitment is still open, but my heart is just at Ohio State right now."
A fan of the Buckeyes for some time, Judson just wants things to continue the way they've been with Ohio State and their staff. That's what will keep him in the committed column.
"I just want them to keep showing me love, letting me know they want me up there," he continued. "I want them to keep recruiting me like they have been doing and things will be fine. I love the fans, the state, the school and the campus."
