The Hurry Up is your nightcap of Ohio State recruiting news, catching you up on the day’s event with an ear on the ground for what’s next.
GARY VISIT KEY FOR BUCKEYES
Late last night the rumors of a Thursday visit to Buckeye Country for the nation's top-ranked 2016 prospect, Rashan Gary, became fact.
No. 1 ranked Rashan Gary says he will visit Ohio State tomorrow then Michigan on Friday pic.twitter.com/G4yyU9GtcC
— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) June 25, 2015
Initially reported a little over a week ago by Rivals.com analyst Adam Friedman, Gary and his mother were making a one-day stop in Columbus before heading north to Ann Arbor, where they'll visit until Sunday morning. It's the second trip to Ohio State since March for Gary, but the first for his mother.
There was some concern from folks about who exactly would be around today to give the Garys the royal treatment and I was told to rest assured, the primary principles of the Ohio State coaching staff – preparing for vacation – were all in place and accounted for today, including Urban Meyer, Larry Johnson, Luke Fickell and Chris Ash.
The majority of the visit, I was told, has been handled by Larry Johnson, Sr. directly, but it's expected that Urban Meyer spent his fair share of time with the defensive tackle earlier in the day. This evening, Gary is expected to have dinner with a handful of Ohio State players and Johnson while his mother spends some time with Buckeye parents.
While it's "technically" day one of vacation for the Ohio State staff, they were not going to risk missing the opportunity to impress a player of Gary's stature at a position of serious need. The Buckeyes have made positive strides in recent weeks with Antwuan Jackson and Rashard Lawrence, but Gary is absolutely the top player on the board at defensive tackle.
Ohio State will hope to get him back on campus again this summer for Friday Night Lights. For whatever it means, the Wolverines struck the first piece of what they hope to be a payload in New Jersey today, receiving a commitment from defensive end Ron Johnson, who is on campus in Ann Arbor.
STEVEN SMOTHERS LISTS OHIO STATE IN FINAL GROUP
One name that we've not heard much about in the last few months is 2016 wide receiver Steven Smothers, a four-star athlete from Reisterstown, Maryland. The country's 176th-ranked player and 30th-ranked wide receiver could play offense or defense at the next level and today he released his updated "Top Schools" list and the Buckeyes made the cut.
6 . pic.twitter.com/7pDRiMmX1M
— 7God (@kingsmoth_) June 25, 2015
Not to offer any perceived slights in the direction of the schools on Smothers' list, but – as they say – one of these things is not like the others. Yes, Ohio State has "offered" Smothers, but with a very limited number of spots remaining in 2016 and wide receivers like Donnie Corley, Binjimen Victor and Nate Craig-Myers still on the board, don't expect there to be any further traction with the Buckeyes and Smothers.
MICAH POTTER TRANSFERRING FROM MENTOR
Yesterday, 2016 Mentor, Ohio center Micah Potter, an Ohio State verbal commitment, announced on Twitter that he'd be transferring from Mentor to the prestigious Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida.
Potter, 2016's 28th-ranked center, says the decision is one that just makes sense for him and his development.
"I needed to go to the place that has the best basketball," Potter told Eleven Warriors. "Montverde is that exactly."
Heading south to one of the country's foremost basketball academies is a move that the Ohio State staff is in favor of.
"(Ohio State) is in 100-percent support of it," he said. "I visited Montverde and fell in love. I'll be heading there in August."
The Buckeyes have had a fairly decent run at Montverde in the last few years. It's the alma mater of D'Angelo Russell and 2015 signee Jaquan Lyle.
WADE FOCUSING ON GETTING BETTER RATHER THAN A LIST
The beat goes on for Ohio State 2017 commitment Shaun Wade. After dominating another camp this past weekend, the country's second-ranked 2017 cornerback was put on the spot and asked a few questions about his commitment, his plans for the future and what his aspirations are.
I'm not normally a fan of putting a kid on camera when they clearly aren't comfortable and/or don't want to be, but Wade handled the pressure well and didn't let himself get off track. He's continued to develop his relationship with the Ohio State staff and his future teammates and seems more and more likely to follow through with his commitment to the Buckeyes.
Of course, a lot can change in two years, but so far, so good.
