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.
NEW JERSEY GROUP PLANS TO MAKE TENNESSEE VISIT
One of the most interesting elements of the 2016 recruiting class for Ohio State will be the challenge to keep Kareem Walker, the nation's top-ranked running back, in the commitment column all the way through next February. Ohio State has had to hold off a number of suitors for Walker, but the most recent discussion surrounding the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder might be the most interesting yet.
Per the reliable Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports.com, Walker – as well as the other members of New Jersey's top five 2016 prospects – will visit Tennessee the weekend of June 19th, checking out Rocky Top for a few days. The leader of the group is no doubt Volunteer commitment Jarrett Guarantano, and he's doing everything he can to bring his close friends with him to Knoxville, and each of them is still a major Buckeye target: Rashan Gary, Ahmir Mitchell and Jordan Fuller are expected to make the trip to Tennessee as well. The Buckeyes are thought to be in the lead group for each of those three prospects, and many think they're the current team to beat for Mitchell and Fuller.
The Volunteers are not a team to take lightly when it comes to recruiting, they've proven to be very effective in communicating their message to a number of big-time prospects in the last few years and Butch Jones' staff is young, energetic and very savvy. Tennessee has a unique situation to offer recruits and a rich football history, so this visit – if it happens as expected – isn't one to dismiss. Still, the Buckeyes would rather see Walker visit Tennessee than say, Alabama, who also continue to recruit the five-star running back aggressively.
FARRELL WILL CAMP, TALKS FINAL GROUP
Ohio State's 2016 recruiting class has been search for a second tight end since Jake Hausmann's commitment in January, and this weekend Perry's Luke Farrell will be back in Columbus, but not visiting campus with Buckeye coaches. Farrell will be one of the many prospects heading into town for Nike's The Opening regionals.
"I won't be there until later on Saturday night," Farrell said of his weekend's travel plans. "I'll just be there for the camp Sunday."
The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Farrell says he and the Buckeyes have remained in pretty regular contact.
"Coach (Tim) Hinton was here two weeks ago," he said. "My top four are all pretty close. I feel comfortable with Ohio State, Michigan State, Boston College and Penn State. I'm visiting Michigan State in June and then I want to make my decision before the season."
The Buckeyes are the runaway leader on the 247Sports.com crystal ball for Farrell, but Michigan State is looming and it's hard to not wonder if Hausmann already in place could push Farrell towards the Spartans.
NIXON HOPES TO NARROW LIST, VISIT BUCKEYES SOON
While we've spent much of our wide receiver conversation lately on Donnie Corley and Nate Craig-Myers, there's still a fairly reasonable chance for the Buckeyes to land Melbourne, Florida's Tre Nixon.
"I talk with Coach (Tony) Alford, Tim Hinton and (Zach) Smith a lot," Nixon told 11W. "I talk to Hinton and Alford at least once a week on the phone. I'm planning on visiting soon, hopefully end of June or early July."
The Buckeyes are just one of nearly 45 offers for Nixon, and he says he's trying to pare his list down, which is easier said than done.
"I'm going to be narrowing down my list soon, hopefully to like 15," Nixon continued. "It's about my comfort level with the school, the relationships I have with the coaches, and which schools I can see myself fitting into their scheme and making a early impact."
Duke and Notre Dame are often mentioned as the two favorites for Nixon, and while he says there's no "favorites" per se, those two are among his leaders.
"I wouldn't say they're standing out above anyone else right now but I do like the two schools," he added. "It's all a blessing, really it is. I'm very thankful to be in the position I am."
THE OPENING REGIONALS PLAYERS I'M EAGER TO SEE
With the Nike people in Columbus this weekend, I'm going to try and take a few paragraphs every night this week to highlight a player or two that I'm going to try and watch closely Sunday morning. Tonight, it's two players that are already committed: one to Ohio State and one to Kentucky.
North Ridgeville, Ohio's Demario McCall is scheduled to be on hand and the Buckeye commit is definitely a player I'm excited to see perform live. McCall is one of the country's most explosive players and has taken the spring off from track and field in order to get bigger and stronger for his senior season with the Rangers. He's a guy who could turn a lot of heads this weekend if he comes out ready to perform. There won't be many players in attendance as physically impressive, and, if he's healthy he'll be fun watching him in one-on-one drills against linebackers or cornerbacks.
Lexington, Kentucky's Landon Young has been committed to Mark Stoops and the Wildcats since last June, but Ohio State has maintained a high-level of interest in the country's 20th-ranked offensive tackle since he camped in Columbus last year. Ed Warinner has made repeat visits to Lexington to check in on Young, and Bluegrass State's second-ranked 2016 prospect told 11W on Tuesday afternoon that he plans on arriving in Columbus on Saturday to visit Ohio State prior to Sunday's camp. Young is one of a very select number of offensive lineman that are in the "too good to pass up" category in Ohio State's opinion, if he wanted to join the Buckeyes' 2016 class.
On film, I see a player in the mold of Taylor Decker. At 6-foot-7 and 270-pounds, you can see why Warinner is so fond of Young's game. He's aggressive, has good feet and used his hands well. He's got the frame to carry 30-40 more pounds easily and I'm looking forward to seeing how he fares against the region's best competition.
