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.
MORE ON HARRIS, 2017 WIDE RECEIVERS
Yesterday we talked briefly about the decision by the Buckeyes this past Saturday to offer Cleveland Heights' 2017 wide receiver Jaylen Harris. Harris camped in front of the Ohio State coaches over the weekend and the Buckeyes saw what they had hoped to from the physically impressive Harris and joined the fray for his commitment.
While an eventual offer to Harris would not have been a surprise, the timing – this early in the process – is interesting because it could have some unintended consequences with two other big-time prospects in state, Springfield's Danny Davis and Maple Heights' Ja'Vonte Richardson, each of whom has been slated to appear in Columbus during camp season. Richardson is expected tomorrow by the Buckeyes and Davis was a scratch this past weekend because of a wrist injury that could keep him out of action for up to six weeks.
Why offer Harris without seeing Richardson or Davis in person, especially when knowing that each is willing and likely to wait at least another handful of months before making a college choice? In some respects, the decision could have come down to just wanting to make sure that the Buckeyes didn't get in "late," as crazy as that sounds. Michigan, Tennessee, and others have already offered Harris and he's soon to visit Alabama and others, schools that will likely "offer" without much fear of an immediate choice. Ironically, if we were to have a college football game tomorrow, I think most people who've seen all three wide receivers would agree that Harris is the least college ready today. Richardson is the most physically ready for college, Davis is the more polished and technically savvy of the group and Harris is behind each on those fronts, but recruiting is as more about projection as it is current production.
Richardson, from a strictly athletic standpoint, is sure to impress the Buckeyes tomorrow. He's built like a college wide receiver now at a solid 6-foot-3 and 200-pounds and he moves like one, too. He's far more fluid and explosive than Harris is, and he could end up – like his teammate Kierre Hawkins – at a number of different positions in college. Tomorrow he's likely to work with Zach Smith and the wide receivers, but people I've spoken with insist he could be a safety or even a linebacker in college.
In almost any year, having three wide receivers like this group in state would mean an easy decision for the Buckeyes because they'd just take them all. However, with out of state talents like Trevon Grimes, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Bruce Judson, Emmanuel Greene and others knocking on the door, the choice Ohio State eventually makes will be subject to scrutiny for years to come.
TUESDAY CAMP VISITORS TO WATCH
Who else will join Ja'Vonte Richardson tomorrow camping in front of Ohio State's coaches? Here's a few names that I'll be trying to pay attention to. The top of the list focuses on a duo of expected Buckeye commitments: Demario McCall and Kierre Hawkins.
The future of Ohio State football at quarterback, in the 2017 class and maybe the 2018 class is expected to be on-hand. Danny Clark told 11W this afternoon he's likely to camp on Tuesday and the Buckeyes are expecting Shelby, Ohio's Brennan Armstrong, the state's top 2018 prospect at the position, as well.
Toledo Central Catholic 2017 running back Michael Warren III is regarded by some as the top running back in Ohio for 2017, ahead of even Ohio State commitment Todd Sibley, Jr. Warren says he wants to be on campus and working with Tony Alford and hopes to impress the Buckeyes. Whether or not that happens is up in the air at this point.
Along the offensive line, the Buckeyes are once again expecting Jack Wohlabaugh, who also intends to camp on Friday. Cincinnati St. Xavier 2017 standout Matt Bockhorst will be camping and he hopes it lands him an Ohio State offer. As mentioned last week, the Buckeyes are also going to take a look at Portsmouth, Ohio's Blaine Scott, who could be Ohio's top 2018 offensive lineman. Ohio State had hoped to see 2018 Indianapolis lineman Emil Ekiyor, a 6-foot-3, 285-pounder who holds an early offer from Michigan, but he suffered a separated shoulder recently and will not be in town.
While it's unclear if he'll camp, Georgia's Antwuan Jackson, who arrived in Columbus on Sunday, will be present. He's staying until Wednesday as the Buckeyes continue to work for a commitment from the four-star defensive tackle. Jake Saunders, a three-star defensive tackle from Loveland, is also expected to camp. Saunders has offers from Wisconsin, Maryland, Boston College and a handful of others. Ohio's best 2017 defensive tackle, Jerron Cage, also will be on location. His brother, Daniel, is a redshirt freshman at Notre Dame and Jerron is hearing from the Buckeyes, Michigan State, Notre Dame and others.
Two key names to watch in the defensive backfield are Mansfield's Tyrell Ajian, who has confirmed that he'll be in attendance, and The Woodlands, Texas safety Antoine Winfield, Jr. who is not yet confirmed. Winfield, like his Buckeye father, is a 5-foot-9, 180-pounder who plays much bigger than his frame. He'd need a pretty a impressive performance to earn an Ohio State offer I think, but the name gets him in the door and will earn him a long look.
COULD BUCKEYES GET HELP WITH CORLEY?
This past weekend wasn't just a camp weekend for the Buckeyes, but also a number of their biggest rivals, including Michigan State. One of the more interesting stories that could develop from the East Lansing camp is the case of Trishton Jackson. Jackson is a 6-foot-3, 190-pound wide receiver from West Bloomfield, Michigan and not only did he light it up at Michigan State, he was also – according to most in attendance – one of the most dynamic and exciting players at the Sound Mind/Sound Body camp.
Jackson does not have a Buckeye offer, nor a Michigan State or Michigan offer, but after this weekend, the drumbeats about a possible offer from the Spartans really picked up and the scuttlebutt around him is that an MSU offer would equal an MSU commitment. So what's the point?
Michigan State already has commitments from a pair of four-star wide receivers (Cam Chambers and Justin Layne) and if they offer Jackson before a Corley commit happens, that could push things back towards the middle for the Detroit Martin Luther King star. So what's likely? Expect Michigan State to hold off a few more weeks on Jackson until Corley makes a public decision and then pull the trigger on an offer for Jackson, who they'll recruit publicly as an "athlete" and not a pure wide receiver. If Corley's camp is paying attention, though, it may be interesting to see how things transpire.
WALLACE EXPECTED IN COLUMBUS FOR EXTENDED VISIT
Summer is the best time for recruits to travel and on Wednesday the Buckeyes will start a four-day visit with DeSoto, Texas quarterback Tristen Wallace.
"I'm flying up with my mom," Wallace told Eleven Warriors. "We'll be there Wednesday through Saturday."
Wallace will camp with the Buckeyes and new quarterbacks' coach Tim Beck on Friday. He's also looking forward to getting some face-to-face time with a player who could be a big part of his future success in Columbus: wide receiver Austin Mack.
"I'll be there to meet up with Austin," Wallace added. "I'm looking forward to being back in Ohio."
