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.
SERMON STILL FEELING BUCKEYES
Ohio State has a commitment from one 2017 running back, but they're in hot pursuit of another.
Trey Sermon, from Marietta, Georgia, visited Ohio State in July for Friday Night Lights and since that weekend he's been one of a handful of guys high on the Buckeyes' board. It appears that Sermon, the country's 4th-ranked 2017 running back, is reciprocating the interest.
"Ohio State's message to me has been that I'm the type of guy they want in their program," the country's 44th-ranked prospect shared. "They want to continue building a relationship with me."
The task of building that relationship falls on to the shoulders of Tony Alford, the Buckeyes' new running backs coach.
"I've been talking with (Tony) Alford when I can," Sermon said. "It's been good so far, we're just building the relationship. We talk mostly just about life."
Sermon, whose 247Sports.com crystal ball currently reads 100-percent to Georgia, where he camped during Dawg Night a week before FNL, expounded a bit on his trip to Ohio State.
"The atmosphere there was great," he said of Ohio State. "I just got a really good vibe throughout the visit. The thing that stood out to me the most was how they want you to succeed after football and also very big on building relationships which is a great thing."
The 6-foot-1, 206-pound Sermon says he's tried to model his game after two pretty good running backs, one of which is very familiar to Buckeye fans.
"I try to play like Ezekiel Elliott and Adrian Peterson," he continued. "They're so explosive when they run, and they're great at making guys miss. I got a little chance to talk to (Elliott) at Friday Night Lights."
Sermon's interest in the Buckeyes is such that he intends on making another trip to Ohio State soon. He also said that he's not trying to make a decision about his college choice anytime soon.
"I will definitely visit Ohio State for a game this fall," Sermon added. "I want to take the process a bit slower so I can make sure I make the right choice for me."
FOUR BUCKEYE PLEDGES GET ALL-LEAGUE HONORS
The regular season begins today for Ohio's prep teams and with it comes the always entertaining but equally irrelevant "Preseason All-League" nominations. This specific set of preseason honors comes from WKYC.com, who is presenting their picks for the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Northeast Ohio Football Team.
Four Buckeye commitments – Demario McCall, Kierre Hawkins, Luke Farrell and Jack Wohlabaugh – earned this distinction. Here's the run down on each of the Ohio State verbals.
McCall:
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Ohio State pledge does just about everything for the Rangers. In 2014, the West Shore Conference Offensive Co-MVP rushed for 2,302 yards and 35 touchdowns. The all-state pick also caught 14 passes for 195 yards and a score.
Including his work as a punt and kick returner, McCall amassed 2,842 all-purpose yards and scored 230 total points.
On defense, the Rangers’ star recorded 39 total tackles, including 26 solo, and intercepted four passes.
“Demario has great vision an understanding of the game to go along with his amazing athletic ability,” North Ridgeville head coach Luke Durbin said. “He is always the fastest player on the field and he doesn’t have to slow down to make cuts. His elusiveness is unbelievable.”
Kierre Hawkins:
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Ohio State verbal commit did a little of everything for the Mustangs last season.
On offense, he recorded 856 rushing yards and 434 receiving yards en route to scoring 15 touchdowns. On defense, he tallied 68 tackles, including 19 sacks.
“He is a tremendous man who works very hard to be a solid citizen and community member in Maple Heights,” head coach Devlin Culliver said. “He does a great job of leading the team.”
Luke Farrell:
The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Ohio State verbal pledge is considered one of the nation’s top college prospects at his position in his recruiting class. In 2014, Farrell hauled in 43 passes for 730 yards and six touchdowns.
“Luke is an outstanding role model for all,” Perry head coach Matt Rosati said while noting his academic and athletic accomplishments. “What is so remarkable about him is that he is extremely humble and does not brag or boast about his many accomplishments. He is a great teammate and his team loves him.”
Jack Wohlabaugh:
The 6-foot-4, 285-pound Ohio State verbal pledge graded out at 91 percent for his play on the offensive line and recorded a team-best 36 pins in 2014.
“He is a natural athlete who has some of the best footwork I’ve ever seen, which is such a pivotal part of being a successful offensive lineman,” first-year Walsh Jesuit head coach Scott Beigie said. “He has trained and been very coachable in regard to his technique, and it has paid off.”
The Lorain Chronicle-Telegram also has excellent story on McCall today that is absolutely worth a read.
WESTERVILLE SOUTH, OLENTANGY MEET IN BIG-TIME CLASH
One of this weekend's biggest games in the 614 is Westerville South and Olentangy. The Braves will travel to Westerville to take on Marcus Williamson, Jaelen Gill and the Wildcats. I've been to both South and Olentangy this month and checked out the squads up close, and I'll be on-hand Friday night for the big game.
The guys at StoriedRivals have an excellent preview on South:
The game, sure to be one of the weekend's best, gets the full preview from ThisWeekSports.com and focuses on the surplus of Division One talents in the contest.
"Our toughness was built in the weight room and we've been battle-tested in the preseason," Solis said. "Westerville South has some unbelievable athletes such as Williamson and Gill, so we'll be in trouble if we don't tackle well. But that's the reason we scheduled the teams we did for our scrimmages because they have got us ready for this kind of competition.
I'll have information, feedback and photos from this game in Sunday night's The Hurry Up.
WAYNE DAVIS SPOTLIGHT
The Scout.com spotlight was back on another Buckeye commit, and this time it's Norfolk, Virginia's Wayne Davis.
The Lake Taylor senior cornerback, who committed to Ohio State in July, is worth paying a bit more attention to.
KELLY CUTS OFF BUCKEYES
Ohio State is content to finish their 2016 recruiting class with only one linebacker and because of that it's not a huge disappointment that Caleb Kelly, a five-star from Clovis, California, is no longer listing them as an option as he released his official visit schedule. Still, the country's 16th-ranked player is worth pursuing and when he's considering a pair of your regional rivals, it's hard to not wonder "what if" when it comes to his recruitment.
5 officials., Blessed for these opportunities s/o @Claywill3_ for pic edits and @valkel19 for setting up visits! pic.twitter.com/rutHtuzsWV
— KANAI (@calebkkelly) August 26, 2015
Kelly, as you can see, will visit both Michigan and Notre Dame this fall, but he's removed the Buckeyes from his list. Ohio State rarely spends much in the way of time and/or resources in California, but for a player of this stature, you have to wonder what could have been accomplished had the envelope been pushed.
