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.
PRYTS AND PENN STATE
With a looming decision reportedly between Ohio State and Notre Dame, don't be surprised if you hear/feel a sudden groundswell from Penn State in the Andrew Pryts sweepstakes.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Hickory High School safety, a Penn State legacy, visited the Nittany Lions over the weekend in what is likely his final visit before a decision. Although there's still an outside chance he could return to South Bend for one more visit with Notre Dame, it's seeming more and more likely that Pryts will decide without that happening.
I've maintained for a while that I felt Ohio State was out in front but this Penn State trip is one that has to be paid attention to, and closely. As noted, his father played for Joe Paterno and Penn State was at one time considered the runaway leader for the four-star prospect from Hermitage; did a final visit bring Penn State back to the top?
HAMLIN VISITING PITT
Another Keystone State standout, cornerback Damar Hamlin from Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School, is making a key visit elsewhere today. The country's 13th-ranked cornerback has been at the top of the list for the Buckeyes for some time, but a visit to Pittsburgh today is – similarly to Pryts – an important one to note.
Hamlin has been to Ohio State seven times in the last year, and there's no doubt that he's fond of the Buckeyes but Pitt and Pittsburgh kids go hand-in-hand and there may not be a single more important player to Pat Narduzzi's immediate future than Hamlin. Yes, the 6-foot-1, 175-pounder is a great player but who he could bring along with him to Pitt is what makes landing Hamlin so important.
Ohio State has put a lot of time and energy into the Pennsylvania duo and losing Hamlin would be a blow: Notre Dame, Penn State and Pittsburgh are all rumored to feel pretty good about where they stand as well.
BOSA TALKS WITH 247SPORTS
Nick Bosa isn't really someone who needs or wants to talk to the media and generally avoids it, unless face-to-face with a reporter. 247Sports.com analyst Luke Stampini, who covers Florida, had that chance recently. The interview helped shed some light on Bosa's decision, which was thought by most to be pretty simply made.
“The actual decision, I was at school and I decided that morning,” Bosa said. “I went into coach (George) Smith’s office. I called my parents and they came over. And then I put the phone on speaker and called coach (Urban) Meyer and told him. He was with all the coaches in the coaches meetings so he put me on speaker and they were all cheering. It was fun.”
Bosa, the country's 7th-ranked prospect in the 2016 class, told Stampini he could have committed at any time during the last three years but wanted to examine his options a bit closer.
“There were always days when I was like I could commit right now,” Bosa said. “My sophomore year, my freshman year. But I just waited it out and took my visits. I finally took my visits and knew it was best for me. That’s when I really knew.”
SERMON HAS EARLY TOP 10
Marietta, Georgia 2017 running back Trey Sermon has made the most of his summer, checking out a number of schools, including Ohio State, where he visited for Friday Night Lights. Now, after a weekend visit to Auburn, Sermon has released a list of his top 10 schools.
Here's my top 10 pic.twitter.com/jv4yW4ZbEt
— Trey Sermon (@treyera) August 6, 2015
While the Buckeyes have a commitment already at running back in 2017 (Todd Sibley, Jr.), Sermon is the country's 4th-ranked tailback and Ohio State is likely to take one more at the position in his class. Alabama already has a pair of running backs committed in 2017.
Sermon is 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds and his highlights show exactly why he's got offers from a who's who of big-time programs around the country.
