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.
SEEING RED
Wednesday morning, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh took a little time out of his busy day to talk to ESPN.com radio host Colin Cowherd. I am sure you've heard about this by now, but in the event that you've been out of the country or comatose, here's the audio from the "interview." I put quotes around interview because, in my experience, an interview usually involves some back-and-forth and engaging conversation, of which there was little in this case.
I'm not going to wax poetic about Harbaugh's personality or his eccentricities. He's clearly a different type of guy on and off the field than Michigan has had at the helm, maybe ever, but his methods have always found success. He's recruiting well, he's got the Michigan fan-base behind him and feeling good and the future of The rivalry is in good hands.
However...
Almost immediately on Wednesday morning I got a message from a prominent high school coach – who has, in the past, brought players to Michigan – and he was upfront about the methods Harbaugh employs.
"Harbaugh," the coach said. "Is a different cat. He won't be able to relate to most of my players."
The coach went on to acknowledge that perhaps some of Michigan's recruiting success could be tied to the hiring of high school coaches and parents, but not necessarily just that. Harbaugh's track record on the field speaks for itself.
"People are buying the Super Bowl pitch," the coach concluded.
I'm buying Harbaugh at Michigan, even if he's a bit different. That said, it will be interesting to see if there's a moment this fall where the recruiting momentum wanes as it has in the past if there's no marked improvement in on-field results.
FEELING BLUE
Still, the on-field success in Harbaugh's past continues to fuel a pretty darn good run recruiting-wise for Michigan. Today, the Wolverines added the next piece of their New Jersey puzzle when Camden's Brad Hawkins committed to the Maize and Blue.
Top N.J. receiver Brad Hawkins commits to #Michigan over #Rutgers, #Temple and others #NJFootball @HSSportsNJ http://t.co/c2CKiJ09Vl
— Todderick Hunt (@TodderickHunt) July 3, 2015
Hawkins, the country's 38th-ranked wide receiver and 203rd-ranked overall prospect, is a high school teammate of defensive end Ronald Johnson, who committed to Michigan just over a week ago. Michigan now has 21 commitments in the 2016 class and is likely to be forced into some difficult roster/recruiting decisions in the coming months. Were I a lesser-ranked prospect committed to the Wolverines, I'd be careful where and how I tread because as the class grows and more names want in things could get a bit tight.
WHITE COULD BE NEXT BUCKEYE LEGACY
We've talked at length about the number of big-time Ohio State targets at defensive back in 2017. There's a lot of them. The Buckeyes are one of the hottest programs in the country on the recruiting trail, the "Silver Bullets" are being revamped and re-introduced to the world and five-star kids from Georgia to Texas to California are interested in getting to know more.
With all that excitement, sometimes it's hard to not overlook the local kids, but Olentangy Liberty's Brendon White is one Ohioan that could find his way into the 2017 plans. His father, William, is a former Buckeye standout and 11-year NFL veteran. Scout.com ananlyst-extraordinaire Bill Greene talked to White and the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder pulled no punches about what an Ohio State offer would mean.
"I'm hearing from Ohio State and I've been there for a visit," he added. "I'm also hearing from Michigan State and Indiana. If I get the offer from Ohio State, I will commit there. It's my dream school, and I want to follow in my dad's footsteps."
Ohio State also recruited current linebacker Darron Lee as an athlete/safety and there's at least been some discussion already about White transitioning to college similarly. The Buckeyes are hoping to get a chance to see White, who missed half of last season with a dislocated elbow, at Friday Night Lights on July 24th.
MACK HOPING FOR FIREWORKS
The Opening starts next week in Beaverton, Oregon and at least one Buckeye commitment is chomping at the bit ready to do some recruiting on the West Coast.
"I'm very excited to get to Oregon," Austin Mack told Eleven Warriors. "I've got some defensive backs I'm focusing on as future Buckeyes."
A quick perusing of next week's rosters reveals two key names for the Buckeyes at defensive back: Pittburgh's Damar Hamlin and New Jersey's Jordan Fuller.
Mack, who committed to Ohio State roughly a month ago, isn't worried about prospects committed elsewhere trying to turn the tables on him though. In fact, he's been surprised by the lack of effort other schools have shown his direction since his announcement.
"It's funny," Mack said. "Because signing day isn't until next year and I'm an early commit guy; so you'd think (other schools) would still push to recruit me. I get nothing but unfollows (laughs)."
As the expression goes (does it?), there's no point in watering dead flowers.
DWINDLING DEFENSIVE TACKLES
Pardon the lack of Independence Day-related puns in the heading, but last night I mentioned that one defensive tackle who could still be in the Buckeyes' plans was Fort Worth, Texas' Mike Williams. Well, as of today you can cross him off the list.
The country's 23rd-ranked defensive tackle made his decision and committed to Stanford this afternoon, although you might've missed it because there was not any tractor-pulling or press conference. Williams simply adjusted his Twitter bio to include the words "STANFORD FOOTBALL COMMIT" and left it at that.
