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.
247SPORTS.COM CRYSTAL BALL: BINJIMEN VICTOR
Last night I made a pair of 247Sports.com crystal ball predictions, one affecting the other. The first move was that I switched my prediction for Nate Craig-Myers from Ohio State to Florida.
I had picked the Buckeyes for NCM a few months ago, and as I said at the time, it was a purely gut move because I felt the Ohio State staff would make Craig-Myers a priority and that a summertime visit could land the nation's top-ranked wide receiver. Both of those things failed to happen: the Buckeye staff did visit Craig-Myers to check out his spring game, but – despite a continually developing relationship with Tony Alford – Craig-Myers did not visit this summer. While an official visit could still happen, I think Florida – where Nate's half-brother Jayvaughn Myers recently committed – is the emerging frontrunner.
The Gators were at one time the expected winner for Binjimen Victor (he had a decision date in June set to commit to Florida), but with a handful of wide receivers already in the mix and a push from other schools, he slowed down his recruitment. One of the primary reasons was a mid-June visit to Ohio State and a reconnection with the Buckeyes' coaching staff, namely wide receivers' coach Zach Smith. Victor talked about his decision with Herald High Sports:
Since then, Victor has consistently listed the Buckeyes – as well as Tennessee – among his leaders and last week I chronicled why I felt Ohio State could find themselves in the winning position. Last night, I put my proverbial money where my mouth was and decided to pull the trigger for Ohio State on the crystal ball.
Victor will visit Ohio State officially this fall, one of two he says is guaranteed to happen, and he's a primary target for the coaching staff and a number of currently committed future Buckeyes.
HELP AUSTIN MACK EARN PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR HONORS
Ohio State commit Austin Mack is up for FortWayne.com 2015 preseason player of the year honors and you can help him by casting your vote. Mack, the 6-foot-2, 205-pounder is one of 16 players tabbed by The News Sentinel for the honors and the winner will determined through the online vote.
You can cast your vote for Mack and others now.
TWITTER CHANGES BIG FOR RECRUITING
If you're not a regular user of Twitter, you may have missed yesterday's big announcement: Twitter has begun rolling out an update that eliminates the 140-character restriction on direct messages. To the average person this change doesn't do much, but for a college coach and for athletes around the country being recruited by them? It's a potentially game-changing development.
As it stands, Twitter direct messaging is a bit of a loophole in the recruiting contact rules. Barton Simmons, the director of scouting for 247Sports.com, touched on it today and I felt it was worth sharing.
Currently direct messaging is the most consistent way that recruiters are able to communicate with prospective student athletes. Texting is illegal and phone calls are very restricted. Direct messaging however is unlimited after September 1 of a prospect's junior year. Most college coaches communicate regularly with players on Twitter and the Twitter handle is becoming more important than the cell phone number in many cases.
For players like 2017 wide receivers Tarik Black and Tyjon Lindsey, offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson and others who have been waiting patiently for September 1st to begin developing their relationships with the Buckeyes, this could be a big advantage.
WALKER PROFILE FROM FROM SCOUT.COM
The fine folks at Scout.com are working hard to provide an increase in video content with the country's top recruits, and this week they released their profile of Buckeye commitment Kareem Walker.
Walker talks about his strengths as a running back and what he's working on during his senior season. He compares his game to Seattle Seahawks' star Marshawn Lynch, citing the unpredictability in his running style.
BuckeyeSports.com editor-in-chief Jeff Svoboda chimes in at the video's conclusion and suggests that Walker could be Ohio State's next Ezekiel Elliott. As you watch the highlights, what do you see?
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN BRING FLEXIBILITY
This afternoon, the esteemed Eric Seger wrote about how impressed Ohio State's Ed Warinner has been thus far with his newest wave of "Slobs." Warinner sung their praises as a group:
"That's a great group. Really pleased. They're big kids, but they're also very talented, they love football," Warinner said Wednesday after practice. "They're very coachable, they just have all the characteristics that you're looking for."
One of the characteristics that Ohio State is searching from offensive lineman? Positional flexibility. If you look at the 2016 class, each player committed as an offensive lineman provides it. With the exception of Michael Jordan – who is mostly certainly a tackle at the next level – Tyler Gerald, Jack Wohlabaugh and Gavin Cupp have all played multiple line positions in high school. One source close to the Buckeyes talked with me about that concept.
"We really have to consider the roster and how guys fit in with each player we recruit," the source said. "If you're a guy who can only play one position, or only pass block or only run block, you're at a bit of a disadvantage. Learn the game, not just a one position. We're looking for athletes that can help all over the field."
