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 QB DEVELOPMENTS
Monday night, news broke of a potential (read: planned) official visit by Dwayne Haskins Jr. to Ohio State this weekend. Haskins, from Potomac, Maryland, is committed to Maryland, where he's been the de facto leader of their 2016 recruiting class. The country's sixth-ranked pro-style quarterback, Haskins was offered by the Buckeyes in March of 2014, an offer that he said was a "dream" scenario.
I fell in love with Ohio State when I was younger, as you can see in the video, but I am older now and I realize there are other great places out there that can maximize my opportunities," Haskins told Eleven Warriors about separating his dreams as a kid from his opportunities now. "I mean, I have all the same values as I did then, looking for academics and athletics and all that stuff. I want to go where I feel most comfortable, not just with the staff and people (at the school), but personally."
Somewhere between that dream and Tuesday, the Buckeyes and Haskins went different ways. Rumors were that Ohio State preferred a more mobile quarterback, that Haskins preferred a more pass-happy offense and in general, that the two sides just weren't a great fit for one another. However, as things have changed at Maryland (specifically Mike Locksley not being retained as the Terps have turned over their coaching staff) and at Ohio State–where a second quarterback option is now being sought–Haskins is a primary target once again.
As it stands, he'll visit the Buckeyes this weekend (an official visit), a weekend that will see a number of Ohio State commitments making official visits as well, rather than visiting Maryland during the first major recruiting push by DJ Durkin's new staff in College Park. That can't/shouldn't be overlooked, especially when you consider that next Monday starts a recruiting dead period which runs through Jan, 13, so Maryland can have no in-person communication with Haskins in that time. Haskins and the Buckeyes would have preferred that this information not be public because of the undue pressure he's sure to receive from Maryland fans, coaches, etc. but it's likely that it became public when someone at Maryland leaked the information, likely to try and dissuade Haskins from making the trip. Recruiting in 2015 isn't child's play, obviously.
Is a flip coming? I'm not ready to make that call yet, but there's reasons to think that eventually the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Haskins will leave Maryland's class and Ohio State and LSU are the biggest players.
Today, Bleacher Report released an update on the recruitment of IMG Academy quarterback Shea Patterson. Patterson, an Ole Miss commit ranked as the country's second-ranked quarterback, told B/R that he was expecting a visit this week from Alabama and Ohio State.
The 5-star prospect, a senior at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, told Bleacher Report he's expecting coaches from Alabama and Ohio State to spend time with him in the coming days.
The Buckeyes have not offered Patterson and, despite having some initial interest in the Ohio native (Patterson is from Toledo), I've been told by people close to the Buckeyes' side of things that there is no plan to visit him at this time, though Alabama will. So, in essence, this whole Patterson thing is, at least as of today, nothing to see.
The one question that right now we have no real answer for is: what's happening with Tristen Wallace? Sources close to Ohio State have indicated to me multiple times that they want Wallace in their class, and there's been no indication from Wallace that he is aggressively looking around at other options, but clearly something has changed.
From my vantage point, the thing to note is that the Buckeyes' depth chart at quarterback isn't as loaded as it seems. JT Barrett, Stephen Collier and Joe Burrow are present and accounted for, but with Cardale Jones' departure (whether to the NFL or a transfer) and Torrance Gibson potentially staying at wide receiver, a second quarterback in 2016 makes sense, especially given the fact that Wallace is hardly a finished product at the position.
WINT OFFICIAL VISIT SCHEDULED FOR THIS WEEKEND
Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn, New York) 2016 defensive back Jahsen Wint will make an official visit to Ohio State this weekend, the 5-foot-11, 186-pounder told me this afternoon.
2016 Brooklyn (Erasmus Hall) DB Jahsen Wint (@JahsenW) will take an official visit to #OhioState this weekend. No #Buckeyes offer yet.
— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) December 8, 2015
Wint is committed to Temple, but the two-star prospect (who will see a big ratings bump in the next round of updates, I am sure) said he's very excited to see Ohio State.
"I can't wait to visit," Wint told 11W. "I'm excited to see how the players are, how close they are and the campus itself."
The Buckeyes, as noted, have not offered Wint but it wouldn't be a surprise to see him as a part of the recruiting class before it's all said and done.
FULL RIVALS 250 RELEASED
Monday afternoon Rivals.com released their updated 2016 Top 100 and in it sat four Buckeyes.
Tuesday, the original rankings and evaluation site released their full Top 250, and a couple of Ohio State commitments were among their biggest movers.
Fort Wayne, Indiana wide receiver Austin Mack jumped 36 spots to No. 113 thanks to a big senior campaign.
From Josh Helmholdt:
"After missing the majority of the off-season with injury, Mack returned this summer and fall even better than we last saw him as a junior. The Ohio State commit has always been a sure-handed receiver, but he has added an element of explosion to his game that was not as pronounced a year ago. He terrorized northern Indiana football this season from both his wide receiver position and in the return game."
Ohio State's most recent commitment, running back Antonio Williams, went from unranked all the way to No. 122.
From Adam Friedman:
"The major differences in Williams' game this season compared to last season are his conditioning and overall speed. The Ohio State commit was a workhorse this year and broke some very long runs. Williams has he ability to run defenders over or out run them."
Here are some of the other names of note in the Top 250 (Ohio State commitments in bold).
- No. 108 // DT ANTWUAN JACKSON
- No. 119 // OL MICHAEL JORDAN
- No. 121 // DB Damar Hamlin
- No. 123 // DB Nigel Warrior
- No. 220 // TE LUKE FARRELL
TYJON LINDSEY TAPE SHOWS OFF HIS CONSIDERABLE TALENT
Monday night, Ohio State's Zach Smith visited Las Vegas five-star wide receiver Tyjon Lindsey at Bishop Gorman High School.
In today's football, to be a five-star wide receiver you usually have to be exceptionally big, or exceptionally fast or exceptionally physical. If you watch the tape of Lindsey what you see is a player who is just exceptionally good at football.
He may be smallish at 5-foot-9, but Lindsey plays very big.
