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.
BARROW MAKING WAVES
Through his first two games of the season, IMG Academy defensive lineman Malik Barrow has been nothing short of spectacular. In the Ascenders' season-opening loss to American Heritage, Barrow was the popular pick for "best player on the field" and yesterday, against Miramar, he dominated once again and even channeled a little Joey Bosa in doing so. He finished the game against the Patriots with three tackles for loss, and an interception outside of being disruptive all afternoon.
Thanks to those two dominant performances, Barrow was rewarded by 247Sports.com with a big bump to his ranking. The 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive tackle jumped substantially: 197 spots, from number 291 to No. 94.
The Ohio State commit has been elevated into the Top100 nationally after his first two weeks of senior film. Barrow has been IMG Academy's best player through the first two weeks and he has shown the kind of motor, athleticism and relentless play that separates at the defensive line. If Barrow can keep this pace up through the rest of the season, his rise will likely continue.
BOSA, WALLACE ALSO ON THE MOVE
The folks at 247Sports weren't done with Barrow. Another pair of 2016 Buckeye commits – Nick Bosa and Tristen Wallace – also found their rankings changing a bit, albeit in distinctly different directions.
For Bosa, it's a move back to being a five-star with the national network. Why he dropped to four-star status this summer is anyone's guess (ahem, camping politics) but it didn't take much for him to move back into that rare air. He's now the country's 15th-ranked overall prospect by 247 and No. 5 in the composite rankings, moving up to the top slot at the strongside defensive end position.
The Ohio State commit was a dominating presence in the win. He had a tackle for loss from the inside early in the game that set the tone physically. He was also a force on the edge throughout the evening when Booker T. Washington was forced to take to the air. He plays with such a high effort level and such natural power at his age that he has to be considered among the unique defensive line prospects in this class. Bosa is now ranked No. 15 in the country.
For Wallace, whose struggles this weekend were well-documented, the drop was sharp: he moved down to No. 179 nationally but remained the country's 4th-ranked dual-threat quarterback.
Again, from 247Sports.com:
Wallace was ranked on ability and upside, both of which he has in bunches. But it's a projection at this point. He didn't start as a sophomore, missed most of his junior season due to injury and this will be his first full year as a starter. He looked lost at times and very uncomfortable under center in his team's opening week blowout loss to a less talented Arlington Martin team over the weekend. It's time for Wallace to start living up to his immense potential.
In truth, it's very premature to make any sort of ratings adjustment based on game tape, but Wallace's ranking has been a matter of debate for months. As noted, the tangible skills are there, but the comfort in game situations has to improve.
2017 RECRUITS ON THE CLOCK TONIGHT
Tonight at midnight, it's officially open season for the Buckeyes' coaching staff and their ability to talk to, recruit, and generally get to know the 2017 prospects they covet.
It's going down at midnight tonight #Select17
— Mark Pantoni (@markpantoni) August 31, 2015
As it stands, the Buckeyes have the country's top-ranked 2017 class, with 10 commitments (nine of which are four-star prospects or better, only kicker Blake Haubeil is not), an impressive early haul considering how limited conversation and interaction has been to this point.
If you're a junior in high school and are reading this story, you'll know tonight if you're really being recruited by the teams and programs you thought you were. For the Buckeyes, tonight's the first real night where Twitter will show us the names of guys around the country that the Buckeyes are pursuing that maybe we weren't aware of. Should be a fun night and hey, it's always good to have a moniker for your recruiting class, right?
Ready, set, go!
CORLEY HIGHLIGHTS SHOW VERSATILITY AND ATHLETICISM
Much of the recent conversation around the final 2016 wide receiver piece for the Buckeyes has centered on Binjimen Victor, but Donnie Corley remains an intriguing option.
This past weekend, Martin Luther King, Jr. opened their season against Warren (Michigan) De La Salle High School and Corley showed off that he's pretty good at defensive back, too.
Corley had two interceptions in the Crusaders' season-opening win.
