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.
BUCKEYES OFFER 2017 GEORGIA STANDOUT
There may not be a state in the country that is a bigger priority for the Ohio State coaching staff right now than Georgia, especially in the 2017 class. They've already received a commitment from Isaiah Pryor, the Peach State's third-ranked player in his class, and are hot on the trail for six of that state's top 15:
- No. 4 - Richard LeCounte
- No. 5 - Trey Sermon
- No. 7 - Jamyest Williams
- No. 9 - Robert Beal
- No. 14 - Tony Gray
- No. 15 - William Poole III
Most of those names are at the very least somewhat familiar to you, the regular reader of this site, but the last is a new one. William Poole, the country's 11th-ranked cornerback is his class, was offered by the Buckeyes on Monday night/Tuesday morning; an offer he felt might be coming his way.
"Coach (Kerry) Coombs offered me," Poole told 11W. "Coach (Chris) Ash hit me up to talk as well. Coombs came by for a spring practice and told me he liked what he saw. So (the offer) wasn't a surprise; I was waiting on the offer and it was just highly anticipated."
The Buckeyes became the 33rd program to offer Poole; Michigan State became the 34th hours later. Poole grew up a Georgia fan as you'd expect and the Bulldogs are the likely favorite at this point. To begin narrowing down his wide variety of choices, it's all about the visits.
"The the places I feel comfortable, that's what will be big factor," Poole added. I've visited Georgia, Bama, Louisville and Clemson. If I take time to visit a university, they have a good chance of getting me."
Whether or not the Buckeyes get one of those visits? That's still up in the air, but the process is just beginning.
BACKSLIDING IN THE 2016 DEFENSIVE BACK GROUP?
It seems that the once big group of potential 2016 defensive backs is shrinking almost weekly. In July it was Jared Mayden II and Jaylon Jones who fell off the board and committed elsewhere. In August it was Patrice Rene (who the Buckeyes chose not to pursue as he committed to Rutgers) and Andrew Pryts who ended their recruitment and opted for other pastures.
The Buckeyes have a pair of committed defensive backs – both cornerbacks – in Kareem Felder and Wayne Davis, and their top targets, Damar Hamlin and Jordan Fuller, remain viable options, so there's not any panicking yet. What if Hamlin and Fuller end up elsewhere? Then things get interesting, for a number of reasons.
Yes, Ohio State's off to a great start at the position in 2017, but there's a definite desire to add at least two more in this year's class. Where would they go?
Jones, the Ole Miss commit, is one to watch; if he takes official visits, the Buckeyes are almost sure to get one. Lakewood St. Edward's Tony Butler has heard from Ohio State this week and he's a guy that Chris Ash has liked for a while, so that may not be dead in the water, either. One catch? Butler is announcing on October 5th and he does not have the Buckeyes in his current top group.
TARIK BLACK HEARS FROM BUCKEYES, STILL HOPING FOR OFFER
The Buckeyes are looking for a handful of new #Zone6 members in the 2017 class and have started the process of getting more acquainted with Connecticut's Tarik Black. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder told 11W about six weeks ago that he'd been hoping to hear from Ohio State, and with the start of September, that has now begun.
"Mark Pantoni reached out to me," Black told Eleven Warriors. "Just mostly talking, getting to know each other, nothing serious really."
Black, who grew up as a self-professed Buckeye fan, is the country's 14th-ranked wide receiver prospect. He says he's hoping for an offer from Ohio State but is noticing that numbers might not work out in his favor.
"I'm still hoping that they offer," he added. "But they've offered a bunch of 2017 wide receivers already."
HOLMES TALKS WITH BUCKEYES
When he visited Ohio State in July for Friday Night Lights, one Ohio State assistant told me that Darnay Holmes might have had the best camp performance by a cornerback in the last four years. That said, it's not a surprise that Holmes was a priority for the Buckeyes as soon as the clock struck midnight two nights ago.
From Rivals.com analyst Adam Gorney:
As for where Holmes stands in his recruitment, Stanford is still a top team to beat. The 2017 five-star has visited multiple times and absolutely seems to love the academic and athletic mix there. Others say Ohio State has a legitimate chance to land him and Nebraska is definitely in the picture as well for numerous reasons including he has taken a bunch of visits there.
Holmes is playing this season at Calabasas alongside his good friend Keyshawn Johnson, Jr.
