The Hurry Up is your nightcap of Ohio State recruiting news, catching you up on the day’s events with an ear on the ground for what’s next.
HALL OUT
If you noticed about an hour ago, Terrell Hall has decommitted from Ohio State.
I won't get too far into the details here, but the Buckeyes were aware that this was coming and, despite being disappointed, aren't going to lose too much sleep over it. Hall is a great player potentially but Ohio State is moving full-speed ahead with recruiting and one player isn't going to make or break any class at this point. Things had been moving towards a break-up with Hall and Ohio State for a while and that was exacerbated by a few things done by the defensive end that were less than respectful to the Buckeye coaches; they couldn't really reconnect to the desired level following those instances and voilà! Decommitment.
The question is going to naturally be this: will Ohio State try and fill that spot by renewing their efforts for either Auston Robertson or Josh King, either of which would have been Buckeyes months ago if Hall weren't in the Ohio State class? The answer to that, as I write this, is no. With 18 commitments, there's little room left in 2016 and the Buckeyes are more than happy with Jonathon Cooper and Nick Bosa.
Why did Hall re-open his recruitment? There's likely no simple answer to that, but there's no doubt that the emergence of Cooper and the commitment of Bosa made a difference. However, it was the connection of a former DC-area coach – Aazaar Abdul-Rahim – that really helped push Bama to the forefront and that's why I think they'll end up on the receiving end of Hall and not Penn State or Maryland.
Either way, it won't be Ohio State.
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GAVIN CUPP-DATE
Last Wednesday, if you recall, the Buckeyes offered Leipsic, Ohio's Gavin Cupp. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound lineman, who was committed to Michigan State prior to his Friday Night Lights' appearance with Ohio State, was expected by most/many/all to quickly jump on the offer and commit to the Buckeyes. It's now five days later and there's not yet any decision.
What gives?
Nothing. Chill, it's all going to be OK. Cupp's offer is 100-percent committable. He's going to be a Buckeye and it will likely happen this week, but ultimately it happens only on his timeline. One possible reason for the delay was the fact that Urban Meyer was in Chicago for the Big Ten's media days, and that may have prevented Cupp and Meyer from talking directly and finalizing the commitment.
Either way, nothing has changed: Cupp will be a Buckeye.
WALKER VISIT UNDERWAY
As I mentioned last week, the nation's top running back prospect in the 2016 class, Kareem Walker, is on campus with the Buckeyes as of Monday afternoon. The Ohio State commitment was last in Columbus in June and since then the rumors about a potential flip have ratcheted up, finding their zenith after a multi-day trip to Arizona State.
This trip will be a good opportunity for the Buckeyes to remind Walker of why he was their guy from the start and to explain more fully his role in the offense as a freshman. Walker has told me in the past that he'd like to have anywhere between 9-15 carries a game during his first season with Ohio State and he'll get a better idea of where those will come from during this trip.
He arrived with his coach this afternoon and will leave on Wednesday.
PRYTS UPDATE
One of a handful of potential defensive back options still on the board for 2016, Hermitage, Penn.'s Andrew Pryts, is still expected to make a choice this month. The question around his pending decision has been whether or not he'll make one more visit to Notre Dame before choosing between his top schools, which include Ohio State and the Irish among others.
I talked to Pryts briefly today and, as it stands, no news is good news. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound safety wants to get back to South Bend, Ind., this month but with his own practices starting next weekend, that visit is not set in stone and subsequently a decision could still come without another visit.
As it stands, I still like Ohio State in this race.
CORLEY FEELING BLUE?
A week ago it was Michigan State, Tennessee and Ohio State hanging out in a tight little group near the top of the list for Donnie Corley. It may be time to officially add another school – Michigan – to that list after two visits to Ann Arbor in the last week for the wide receiver, including a trip for the "BBQ at the Big House," Michigan's final summer recruiting event.
Corley's list continues to grow, which is unusual at this point in the process, and it seems more and more likely that he's going to be a later-than-expected decision. One thing to watch? Michigan is also making a move with his teammate, Penn State commitment LaVert Hill, and the rumor mill is that Hill is almost certain to flip to one of the Michigan-based Big Ten schools.
BALL BOUNCING BUCKS' WAY?
Despite limited scholarship options for 2016, the basketball Buckeyes could be finding themselves in a good spot for one of the country's best point guards, Kobi Simmons. A five-star guard ranked as the country's eighth-overall prospect in his class, Simmons has recently narrowed his list to six schools: Ohio State, Kentucky, Arizona, Xavier, North Carolina and Georgia.
Sunday, Xavier landed a commitment from Quentin Goodin, a Top 100 prospect and four-star point guard. Simmons has an official visit scheduled to Xavier for the end of August, so it will be interesting to see if that still happens. The Buckeyes, for their part, are hoping to get an official visit sometime in September, likely between the September 12th football game against Hawaii through the September 26th game against Western Michigan.
The last four 247Sports.com crystal ball predictions for Simmons have all been for Ohio State.
