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.
LANDON YOUNG IMPRESSED BY OHIO STATE, IMPRESSED DURING CAMP
On Saturday, the Buckeyes hosted 2016 Lexington, Kentucky offensive lineman Landon Young and his parents for an almost 10-hour visit prior to his camp session Sunday. I had a chance to talk with his parents yesterday during the camp and it was clear they came away from the trip to Columbus very impressed.
Landon, the country's 21st-ranked offensive tackle, spent the day touring Ohio State with linemen Brady Taylor and Grant Schmidt, and his parents spent time with Tim Hinton and his wife and got to know Urban Meyer a bit. According to his mother, the trip was eye-opening and the family has plans to return to Columbus this fall for an official visit. She said that Urban Meyer made a memorable impression on their family with his direct, to-the-point personality and his focus on life outside of football. Young, 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, is likely to check out a few other schools this summer, and his mother said that Mark Stoops is well aware of the trips and has been great, even encouraging Landon to do so to make sure he's made the right decision.
On Sunday, Young was fantastic and definitely one of the camp's top offensive linemen. His frame is exactly what a top-flight offensive tackle should look like and he does a great job of staying low despite being 6-foot-7. He uses his hands well and moves his feet exceptionally well for a player of his size. After seeing him in person, it's easy to see what Ed Warinner and the Buckeyes like so much about him.
WADE CONTINUES TO KEEP BUCKEYES NEAR THE TOP OF HIS LIST
There weren't many recruits that visited pre-camp, but Saturday was another big visit for Clairton, Pennsylvania defensive back Lamont Wade, ranked as the country's 134th overall prospect in the 2017 class. Wade has emerged as one of the primary targets in a fast-closing group of defensive backs, and according to his father, Carlton, the visit went exceptionally well.
The Buckeyes, according to the elder Wade, are at the top of the list for Wade and they've been handling his son's recruitment with class from the start, keeping their family informed regularly that Lamont is a priority for the Buckeyes in his class; they talk to Kerry Coombs weekly and Luke Fickell is also very close to his recruitment. While Ohio State tops the list currently, the family wants to take a bit more time before making a decision and the Buckeyes are not pressing for a choice. Mr. Wade also said that a number of big-time southern schools, like Alabama, South Carolina and LSU are in regular contact but want his son to camp and that kind of travel isn't easy to arrange on a whim.
Wade was very good on Sunday during the camp and the thing I found most interesting about him was that while others were waiting for another rep, he would go from line to line to find the shortest wait to get another crack at it. He is built like a brick outhouse and runs well and although he may be a bit shorter than is ideal, he makes up for it with a bulldog mentality. The sooner he decides the better it may be for Ohio State.
A BIT MORE ON DANIEL CROWELL
One player who really jumped out at me during Sunday's camp was Meridian, Mississippi 2016 wide receiver Daniel Crowell. I got a chance to speak with Crowell last night and he informed me that he set up a visit with Ohio State this morning, taking advantage of the opportunity he had whilst in town for the Nike camp. Now, what you're thinking/wondering/questioning is how would the country's 119th-ranked wide receiver, whom Ohio State had never spoken to or heard about before last night, catch their attention during a camp that they were not permitted to attend? There are a few ways; one that seems obvious;others that may surprise you.
Obviously, Ohio State coaches do follow a number of recruiting guys on Twitter and seeing Crowell's name pop up piqued their interest. He's got the size that you look for in a wide receiver (nearly 6-foot-2, almost 200 pounds) and he didn't have a problem beating any defensive back that I saw yesterday. What ultimately swayed the interest meter from piqued to "let's take a look" when it came to the Ole Miss commit?
The recommendation of Austin Mack.
Mack, I'm told, messaged Ohio State wide receiver's coach Zach Smith as soon as he was walking out of the camp yesterday to let Smith know that Crowell was worth taking a good, close look at. Crowell's information was passed to Smith, a visit was set up and this morning Ohio State offered the Mississippi native. That, friends, is how the donuts are made.
OHIO STATE OFFERS 2017 DEFENSIVE END
Late last week, the Buckeyes extended an offer to Edwardsville, Illinois defensive end AJ Epenesa, the country's second-ranked player in the 2017 class. Epenesa is 6-foot-5, 230 pounds and adds Ohio State to an offer list that includes Notre Dame, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Florida State, USC and a dozen others. His father played for the Hawkeyes in the mid-1990s.
I've not yet had a chance to talk to the five-star talent, but the Buckeyes – led by Chris Ash and Larry Johnson, Sr. – are now in the mix and a decision is not expected anytime soon.
WAYNE DAVIS NOW VISITING JUNE 6TH?
One player that Ohio State had hoped to see this past weekend was Norfolk, Virginia defensive back Wayne Davis. Davis did not make the trip due to a conflict with his 7-on-7 team's schedule, but he has another visit scheduled to Columbus according to an interview he did with VaPreps.com
Wearing a Virginia Tech t-shirt, Davis told his interviewers about his recruiting plans.
"I was supposed to go to Ohio State this (past) weekend," Davis said. "But we had a seven-on-seven tournament so I didn't go. I'm (visiting) Ohio State on the sixth."
The sixth would be this upcoming Saturday, and we were able to confirm his visit plans with a source at Ohio State. Davis continued.
"I've been there (to Ohio State) before, I went there for the Cincinnati game," he said. "I've been looking to get back up there."
Current Buckeye, and former teammate at Lake Taylor, Jalyn Holmes is regularly in Davis' ear about a potential visit, according to the 5-foot-11, 190-pound cornerback.
"I talk to Jalyn almost every day," Davis added. "He just keeps telling to get back up to campus and that the coaching staff wants to see me."
Davis went on to discuss, at least briefly, his top five schools, which also included Virginia Tech, Michigan, Tennessee, and Wake Forest. He said he plans to make visits in the near future to Ann Arbor and Knoxville.
If Davis visits, he's a player who could end up on "commitment watch" in short order, but right now it's about getting the visit underway. He says he'd like to make a decision prior to the start of his senior season, but if he's not completed his desired visits he may wait longer.
