The Hurry Up: Mayden Feeling Buckeyes as Decision Approaches, Rivals 2017 List Released and More

MAYDEN THE SHADE?

The cornerback carousel continues to spin and this week we're once again talking about Texas defensive back Jared Mayden II. To recap, the Buckeyes were once considered the favorite for Mayden, as recently as January or February, but in recent months the relationship between the two sides began to wane if not outright fall apart.

As new names began to crop up with the Buckeyes, it seemed less and less likely that Mayden, the country's 11th-ranked cornerback, would end up in Columbus. That has been the case...but now things could be swinging back around towards the scarlet and gray. A staff writer for TCU's 247Sports.com site notched a "crystal ball" pick in the Buckeyes' favor yesterday, and another mid-south recruiting analyst is also on board with that pick.

Currently there are five schools listed on Mayden's predictions and he's done an incredible job of keeping people guessing. Right now, there's no definitive answer being given to anyone and Mayden, who has stayed secretive for most of his recruitment, isn't likely to start squawking now. The Buckeyes have not been told by Mayden's camp that he is or is not choosing Ohio State, but if he picks the Block 'O' hat to put on his head without informing them beforehand, it could be interesting to see how it plays out. There's not much room left at the proverbial inn and if Mayden wants in, someone else that we'd felt was more likely, like Damar Hamlin, Jordan Fuller or Andrew Prtys, is likely to end up out.

Mayden's decision date is not yet finalized, but he told me today it's going to be Thursday or Friday. I picked Ohio State on the "crystal ball" back in January and I've not changed it (because well, mostly I forgot) but I expect him to pick Oregon at this point. Nothing I've heard today leads me to believe it's the Buckeyes in front.

RIVALS RELEASES 2017 RANKINGS, BUCKEYE TARGETS ALL OVER

Last week it was Scout.com that released their updated 2017 rankings and today it was the fine folks over at Rivals.com's turn to make people everywhere say things like "I don't need a ranking to tell me how good I am" while lamenting their respective ranking.

The Buckeyes' top-ranked commit, Josh Myers, checks in at No. 3, but let's examine the rest of the Top 100 for those who could see their college ball being played in The Horseshoe.

• No. 3 Josh Myers // Offensive Tackle // Miamisburg, Ohio
• No. 5 Lamont Wade // Cornerback // Clairton, Pennsylvania
• No. 6 Trevon Grimes // Wide Receiver // Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• No. 11 Darnay Holmes // Defensive Back // Newbury Park, California
• No. 14 Josh Kaindoh // Defensive End // Baltimore, Maryland
• No. 17 Jeffrey Okudah // Defensive Back // Grand Prairie, Texas
• No.19 Shaun Wade // Cornerback // Jacksonville, Florida
• No. 20 Tyjon Lindsey // Wide Receiver // Las Vegas, Nevada
• No. 23 AJ Epenesa // Defensive End // Edwardsville, Illinois
• No. 33 Paris Ford // Defensive Back // Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• No. 50 Aubrey Solomon // Defensive Tackle // Leesburg, Georgia
• No. 55 Donovan Peoples-Jones // Wide Receiver // Detroit, Michigan
• No. 57 Isaiah Pryor // Defensive Back // Lawrenceville, Georgia
• No. 59 Ja'Vonte Richardson // Athlete // Maple Heights, Ohio
• No. 64 Richard LeCounte // Athlete // Hinesville, Georgia
• No. 78 Fred Hansard // Defensive Tackle // Princeton, New Jersey
• No. 85 Bruce Judson // Athlete // Cocoa, Florida
• No. 87 Kayden Lyles // Offensive Line // Scottsdale, Arizona
• No. 90 Baron Browning // Linebacker // Kennedale, Texas
• No. 96 Marcus Williamson // Cornerback // Westerville, Ohio

Ohio State, which currently has the country's top-ranked 2017 class, is off to a blistering start and if the number of names on this list are any indication, they're not likely to slow down anytime soon.

BACK TO BUTLER?

Last week, Lakewood St. Edward 2016 defensive back Tony Butler ended months of speculation and decommitted from Pittsburgh. The country's 56th-ranked cornerback, who had been personally worked out by Ohio State in the spring, told 11W that he was re-opening his recruitment in order to take a renewed look at the entire process. 

There's a train of thought out there that what Butler really meant was "I am going to re-open my recruitment and commit to Michigan in a few weeks" and there's definitely a chance that happens, but I don't think it will. What I know is that Butler won't be at Friday Night Lights.

"I'm going to be in Atlanta," Butler said when asked if the change in plans meant a chance to camp with the Buckeyes. "We're going on a family vacation."

If Butler commits to Michigan during a visit there next week (re-scheduled from late June), then it's safe to remove him from the list of potential targets (again). If he doesn't, he's absolutely a player to keep an eye on moving into the fall, much like Alex Stump was last season.

ISAIAH PRYOR DECIDING SOON?

The Buckeyes have, as noted, gotten off to a great start in 2017 and there's increasing confidence that another major target – Lawrenceville, Georgia's Isaiah Pryor – could make his college choice soon.

As you see, the Buckeyes lead the way in the prediction column for Pryor, the country's second-ranked safety in 2017. He's been to Ohio State multiple times between the spring and summer and his family has ties to the Midwest: his father was, and his brother currently is, an Iowa Hawkeye.

July could be a very good month for the Buckeyes.