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.
AHMIR MITCHELL COULD BE MAKING A DECISION SOON
On Friday morning, Cedar Creek (Egg Harbor City, New Jersey) 2016 athlete Ahmir Mitchell Tweeted a revealing message about where his recruitment currently stands.
I'm getting a pretty clear picture where I wanna play... I may commit earlier than I thought. It's really coming down to 2 schools
— Ahmir_SoDevoted (@TheDeuce_2_Nice) May 8, 2015
Mitchell has visited three schools: Rutgers, Ohio State and Michigan, and according to sources close to the Scarlet Knights, they believe that they've fallen behind the Big Ten's flagship programs for the services of the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Mitchell. Ohio State had Mitchell on campus in early April, and the Buckeyes – led by Ed Warinner – have been a constant in his recruitment for months.
Sometime next week it's expected that Warinner, as well as Ohio State wide receiver's coach Zach Smith, will head to New Jersey to get another look at Mitchell, who's being recruited by the Buckeyes as a wide receiver. At present, it's expected that the Scarlet and Gray would like to add two more wide receivers to the 2015 group, and it's unclear exactly how Mitchell fits into the hierarchy. The biggest question mark right now? Let's talk about that next.
THE FEEL ON DONNIE CORLEY
Ahmir Mitchell is the country's 79th-ranked overall prospect, but as a player who's a bit less polished at wide receiver, the Buckeyes are focusing on two names that we've discussed over and over: Austin Mack and Donnie Corley. Mack and Corley are pure, well-polished, talented wide receivers requiring less on-the-fly training if they were to make their way to Columbus, and therefore they remain at the top of the list. You could also include Viera, Florida's Tre Nixon in this top group, but until he gets back to Ohio State it's hard to know how serious he is about the Buckeyes.
Corley has been rumored lately to be a Notre Dame lean, then a Tennessee lean, then a Michigan State and yes, even a Buckeye lean at one time. Sources that speak to the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder have said they expect him to go to Michigan State, but others have said that there's nothing close to finalized in his recruitment. Ohio State's Kerry Coombs and Zach Smith have each ramped up their efforts in recruiting Corley – who was actually very close to committing to the Buckeyes in January – but he gets new offers seemingly day in and day out, which could lead to a lengthier recruitment than anticipated. Will that keep Mitchell out at Ohio State and instead push him to Michigan?
Ohio State will have to make a decision soon on whether Corley's talents, as prodigious as they are, are worth losing out on athlete like Mitchell, and most likely losing him to their rivals. One factor that might be worth considering for the Buckeyes? Mitchell is very close with the nation's top prospect, Rashan Gary, and losing him to Michigan could be another piece for Jim Harbaugh to try and use in recruiting the big defensive tackle.
WAYNE DAVIS FEELS LIKE JALYN HOLMES 2.0
Lake Taylor (Norfolk, Virginia) brought a surprise commitment to Ohio State in the summer of 2013 when defensive end Jalyn Holmes verballed to the Buckeyes on his first visit to the school. Holmes was expected by many to end up at Florida State, but something about the "vibe" on campus in Columbus felt right, and he committed on the spot. The Buckeyes are looking to go back to Lake Taylor this recruiting cycle and nab another big-time prospect in cornerback Wayne Davis. Davis, who had planned on a decision near signing day, told 247Sports.com analyst Ryan Bartow over the weekend that his plans are changing.
CB Wayne Davis has #VirginiaTech & #OhioState still tied. Moves decision timetable up. http://t.co/8Ke4izVkZs @Waynedavis1_ @EvanGWatkins247
— Ryan Bartow (@RyanBartow) May 9, 2015
The Buckeyes had hoped to see Davis on campus for their spring game in April, but he was unable to attend. A visit is expected to materialize soon, and as a player who is high on Ohio State's board, don't be surprised if a bit of pressure is applied to Davis on the visit for a commitment.
PRYTS AND PARENTS MAKE THEIR WAY BACK TO OHIO STATE
One of the top remaining targets at defensive back for the Buckeyes is Hermitage, Pennsylvania's Andrew Pryts. A three-star prospect, the country's 370th-ranked overall player and 19th-ranked safety, Pryts is a Penn State legacy but this weekend he made his second visit to Ohio State in the last three weeks. This trip, though, was made with his parents, a key to the visit for the Buckeyes.
"It was really good," Pryts said of the visit. "We got there around 11:00 a.m. and left around 6:00 p.m."
Earlier in the week, Pryts told Eleven Warriors that the trip was going to be important for his parents, who needed to see all facets of the school.
"My parents haven't been up there, so it's just to see the usual stuff," Pryts said on Tuesday. "The campus, check on academics, see the facilities and all that good stuff."
So, post-visit, were there any questions?
"Everything got answered," he said, mentioning that most of the day was spent touring the campus and focusing on the academic opportunities. "We also met with the coaches."
One reason people seem to think Pryts is headed to Penn State is that his father played for the Nittany Lions. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder said there's no pressure being put on him at all to follow in his dad's footsteps.
"Come on," Pryts said laughing about the notion that there's any push from family to attend Penn State. "People get carried away with all that."
