The Hurry Up: Watts Up, Talking Hansford, New Defensive Back Offer and More

HIBERNATION OVER FOR LITTLE BEAR

There's a defensive end in Florida you may have heard of named Nick Bosa. According to a tweet from him this morning, this coming weekend he'll make a pair of visits that could be instrumental in his eventual college decision.

Gainesville and Tally this weekend

— Nick Bosa (@nbsmallerbear) July 13, 2015

Bosa, the country's second-ranked defensive end and eighth-ranked overall prospect in the 2016 class, has been planning to make a couple different visits before announcing his selection. These visits to Tallahassee and Gainesville are likely to be the only two he makes prior to that happening.

From what I understand, Bosa will make the trips north this weekend and return to South Florida next Tuesday. As I wrote last week, I have been told to not expect Bosa at Friday Night Lights in Columbus on the 24th, and with as many times as he's been to Ohio State, that is understandable. 

I imagine he'll announce, shortly after visiting Florida and Florida State, a decision date and time. It's likely that Bosa will hold a press conference at St. Thomas Aquinas to make his declaration towards the beginning of August.

WHAT'S UP WITH WATTS

Over the weekend, Craig Watts, a safety from St. Petersburg Florida who had committed to Wisconsin last month, reopened his recruitment.

After talking it over with my family and Wisconsin coaches. I chose to decommit from Wisconsin and reopen my recruitment .

— Craig Watts Jr. (@NoFlyZone_2016) July 10, 2015

Watts explained his choice to decommit, even though he was in no way obligated to.

Admiral Farragut's @NoFlyZone_2016 on why he decommitted from Wisconsin. @TBO_PrepSports @Farragut_FB pic.twitter.com/rvR3FIHrZa

— lynden ostrander (@lynden_o) July 10, 2015

Naturally, the first thing that people thought was "Does this mean he's coming to Ohio State?" After all, the Buckeyes are still at the top of his 247Sports.com crystal ball.

Watts talked to Scout.com's Corey Bender about his decision and the Buckeyes were the first school out of his mouth, but does that mean he's now a viable option for Ohio State? Tomorrow, July 14th, is when he initially wanted to make a decision but with an as of now undetermined timeline, Watts is going to let things play out and if he wants to be a Buckeye, that's probably a good decision. The Buckeyes have not yet seen him on campus and if they're going to seriously consider him as one of their safety options, he'll need to make a visit sometime soon.

WADE SHINES IN DALLAS

As the country's second-ranked 2017 cornerback prospect, it's not a surprise to see/read/hear that Jackonsville Trinity Christian standout Shaun Wade stands out at any recruiting combine.

This weekend, Wade was among a handful of players selected to participate in Deion Sanders' Prime 21 camp. The camp, held in Dallas, brings together many of the country's most talented defensive back prospects and gives them a chance to be schooled by one of the games of all time greatest defensive backs. 

Rivals.com analysts were in attendance and a list of the top defenders reveal a number of names familiar to Buckeye fans, including Wade.

• No. 2 Jeffrey Okudah: Okudah has impressive size (6-1, 194) and surprising speed to go along with it. He used his long arms to break up a few passes that looked like sure completions. Okudah was probably the most well-rounded defensive back prospect at the camp. He may play safety in college because of his size, but he certainly has the tools to play man coverage.
• No. 3 Darnay Holmes: Holmes brings serious physicality to the table and showed it by jamming a number of wide receivers at the line. He paid for his aggressive approach on rare occasions, but won most of the reps he took. Holmes has great quickness that complements his size (5-11, 185). He also is solid when it comes to covering downfield.
• No. 4 Shaun Wade:  It's been a summer of big performances from the Ohio State commit and Saturday's event was no exception. The 6-foot-2, 174-pound prospect came straight from the airport to the field on Saturday morning and stepped in and immediately started locking down receivers. Wade's physicality at the line is always impressive, but it's his ability to cover at his size (6-2, 179) that makes him a special prospect.
• No. 6 Chevin Calloway: At 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, Calloway was one of the most physical guys on the field. He was in the face of receiver after receiver and quickly made them alter route and then used quick footwork to stay in position. He was very fluid in transition.
• No. 8 Baron Browning: The event was meant strictly for cornerbacks and safeties, but that didn't stop the big-bodied Browning from wanting to show what he could do as a defensive back. There's no way the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Browning doesn't end up at linebacker in the future, but he showed on Saturday that even against elite wide receivers, he's up to the task of covering in space. Browning's combination of size and athleticism is unique and he already performs like a player beyond his years.

Interesting note on Browning, who has to be one of the country's most athletic linebackers in 2017.

BUCKEYES STILL WATCHING HANSFORD CLOSELY 

Last week in Oregon, Washington, D.C. linebacker Aaron Hansford was pretty special. 247Sports.com Director of Scouting Barton Simmons compared his performance to that of Notre Dame star Jaylon Smith, which is lofty praise for the three-star linebacker, ranked as the country's 29th-best. 

At 6-foot-2, 210-pounds, Hansford ripped off a blistering 4.47 in the 40-yard-dash, and that must've opened, or re-opened, some eyes because shortly after his performance found its way to television, I received multiple text messages from sources close to the Buckeyes. The take away? Hansford's athleticism was not really a surprise to the Ohio State staff, but they were thrilled to see a consistency in his game and ability to cover tight ends and wide receivers out in Oregon.

Hansford recently discussed his favorites, and the Buckeyes were not among the top group, but he insists that he and Ohio State are still in steady communication. While he will not likely make it back to campus this summer, Hansford has said that the Buckeyes are one of the schools that could receive an official visit this fall. Oregon and UCLA will definitely receive official visits, but he is still trying to decide what other schools will get them.

Early in the recruiting process, Ohio State was the supposed leader for Hansford's services, but as numbers in the Buckeyes' 2016 class shrunk, the communication between the two parties slowed down. Ohio State is not closing the door on taking another linebacker in 2016, and the longer Hansford waits to make a decision, the better it may be for the Buckeyes' chances.

OHIO STATE OFFERS 2016 JUCO DEFENSIVE BACK

The recruiting dead period is officially over, and with that you will start to see an increase in offers, visits, and communication between Ohio State coaching staff and its remaining 2016 targets as the summer rolls into camp season. The first new offer offer of this recruiting period happened last night shortly after midnight in Columbus when the Buckeyes offered JUCO cornerback Devron Davis from Merced College in Merced, California.

Davis, the 5th-ranked JUCO cornerback nationally, told Eleven Warriors that he'd only been in contact with Ohio State for a few days, but that Kerry Coombs was the coach who extended the offer.

"They like that I can play corner and return punts," Davis told 11W. "I think I can play a little bit of everything, press, man-to-man, zone, etc."

Originally from Miami, Davis grew up in Stockton, California. He has yet to set up any official visits, but there's no doubt the Buckeyes are one of the schools he would like to see.

Now, the question most of you are asking is "if numbers are so tight and we know the main targets at defensive back, why are offering another? Does this mean we're not getting Damar Hamlin, Jordan Fuller, Jaylon Jones or Andrew Pryts?"

No. It just means, in essence, that the Buckeyes are preparing contingency plans for any number of potential outcomes, including missing on the aforementioned players but also for a scenario where a player like Eli Apple were to leave for the NFL after this year. Having a more game-ready, JUCO product in the mix could be necessary later in the recruiting cycle.