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.
GERALD EXCELLING AT IMG, HOPING TO BRING OTHERS NORTH
When he moved to IMG Academy at the end of December, the purpose for Tyler Gerald was clear: prove himself daily against the best of the best in one of the country's most challenging athletic programs. The Ohio State commitment, the nation's 4th-ranked offensive guard and 188th-ranked overall prospect for 2016, says so far so good in Bradenton.
"Everything is going great," Gerald told Eleven Warriors. "I'm loving everything about my experience down here."
Although Chris Weinke, the head coach Gerald went to play for at IMG, has moved on to NFL pastures, the 6-foot-5, 300-pounder says he and his teammates are focused on their work and their work alone.
"We're just doing our thing," Gerald said of the transition. "We're just going to focus on our season."
Gerald's roommate at IMG is 2017 five-star offensive lineman Calvin Ashley; Gerald says he's working on trying to talk about the Buckeyes with Ashley and others, but right now the focus is preparing himself for college.
"I try to talk to (the players at IMG) about Ohio State, including Calvin," he said. "He's a pure Florida boy, though (laughs). They make their own choices of course, I'm just here trying to get better."
The second commitment in the 2016 Buckeye recruiting class says he'll be up north to visit home and Ohio State in April.
"Of course I will be there for the spring game," Gerald said. "I've got to get up there and see my boys. I'm not sure what guys from IMG will come with me."
The Buckeyes are hoping that Gerald's impact at IMG yields some positive results in their recruiting efforts. Malik Barrow, a defensive lineman for IMG, plans on being in Columbus for the spring game as well.
AUSTIN MACK, MOST IMPORTANT OFFENSIVE PROSPECT IN 2016?
One of the recurring names here during the Hurry Up and throughout our site and others when it comes to 2016 is Fort Wayne, Indiana's Austin Mack. While he's still a relatively "regional" recruit (for some reason unbeknownst to me) Mack's name and talent are beginning to get recognition throughout the country as staffs are starting to see what the Buckeye staff noticed last June. This past weekend Mack and good friend Auston Robertson visited Vanderbilt. The pair will head to Notre Dame in two weeks in a key visit for the Irish, who hope to keep the Hoosier State's top two players home. Mack last visited Ohio State in January, and while there's no concrete plans for a return, the Buckeyes are paying close attention to his travel because he's a player they consider a high priority.
"We know he's been here a lot," one source close to the Buckeyes shared. "We know he wants to make some other visits, and that's fine. There's obviously some places we'd prefer he not visit, but he's got to take his time and see what's out there. He knows what Ohio State brings to the table, and he knows – trust me, he knows – that he's our guy. We think he's the single best wide receiver in the country and a guy that we absolutely think is as important as any other player we have committed or could sign."
Mack is the country's 29th-ranked wide receiver according to 247Sports.com's composite rankings and the 126th-ranked overall prospect.
JACK WOHLABAUGH HEARING FROM OHIO STATE REGULARLY
The son of former NFL'er Dave Wohlabaugh, Walsh Jesuit (Stow, Ohio) 2016 lineman Jack Wohlabaugh is working hard to build his own name. He currently has offers from Kentucky, Minnesota, Purdue, Boston College, and a majority of the MAC's Ohio-based programs, but he says he's hearing regularly from Ohio State's Ed Warinner.
"Recruiting is going really good," Wohlabaugh told 11W. "It's definitely at full force right now. Of schools that haven't offered, I probably hear from Ohio State the most. I talked to (Mark) Pantoni or (Ed) Warinner nearly every day. Michigan and Michigan State are getting in the mix as well."
The Buckeyes have limited spots in their 2016 recruiting class, but Wohlabaugh's caught their attention. Besides the NFL lineage, the 6-foot-3, 280-pounder has the versatility that Warinner looks for in his lineman.
"(Warinner) says he likes my film a lot," the country's 15th-ranked guard said. "He tells me that I'm an Ohio State type of football player. I like to pride myself on working hard and being really physical."
Wohlabaugh visited Ohio State in February and said he plans on being back on campus for a spring practice on March 28th. Despite being Ohio-raised, the state's 12th-ranked player said he didn't grow up rooting for the Buckeyes necessarily.
"I grew up watching all the good games on TV, living in Ohio I've been around and watched Ohio State for a long time," Wohlabaugh said. "I didn't really grow up a fan of one team, though. Still, it's hard to root against the home team."
TENNESSEE LOSES QB COMMIT
One of the things working in Ohio State's favor against Tennessee in the recruitment of Jarrett Guarantano was the fact that North Carolina's Austin Kendall was committed to the Vols. That – unfortunately for the Buckeyes – is no longer the case.
— Austin Kendall (@A_Kendall11) March 10, 2015
Kendall's older brother, Ryan, is a walk-on at the University of Kentucky and some expect him to follow his brother to Lexington. The Vols are expecting Guarantano on campus later this month and are now in a position to make the New Jersey native a priority. Sources close to the Buckeyes have continued to tell me that Tennessee – not Rutgers – is the team they felt would be the toughest competition for Guarantano.
