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.
ARMY GAME UPDATES
Be sure to check out photos and my notebook from this morning's practice in San Antonio.
Included are thoughts on the five Ohio State commitments I saw Thursday, Donnie Corley, Binjimen Victor and others.
Friday, the underclassmen combine takes place in the Alamodome and hundreds of the country's most exciting young athletes will be on-hand to test their skills and hopefully earn a shot to participate in the 2017 US Army All-American Bowl.
The full list of participants is here, as gathered by 247Sports.com.
MAXPREPS JUNIOR (AND SOPHOMORE) ALL-AMERICANS
With the start of the new year comes new lists and one of those recent lists, the MaxPreps 2015 Football Junior All-American Team has substantial Buckeye flavor to it. Three of Ohio State's 10 2017 commitments were honored as first or second team All-America.
First Team
Josh Myers • Miamisburg, Ohio • OL
Shaun Wade • Jacksonville, Florida • DB
Second Team
Isaiah Pryor • Lawrenceville, Georgia • DB
A handful of players that are being recruited by the Buckeyes were listed on the first team, as you'd expect from what is currently the top-ranked 2017 class in the country.
First Team
Najee Harris • Antioch, California • RB
Khalan Laborn • Virginia Beach, Virginia • RB
Donovan Peoples-Jones • Detroit, Michigan • WR
Tyjon Lindsey • Las Vegas, Nevada • WR
David Adams • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • LB
Lamont Wade • Clairton, Pennsylvania • DB
Richard LeCounte • Hinesville, Georgia • DB
Jeffrey Okudah • Grand Prairie, Texas • DB
MaxPreps also released their 2018 All-Americans and while it's certainly too early in the careers of these young men to talk about them too egregiously, there are a few names worth noting if you follow the Buckeyes.
First Team
Zamir White • Laurinburg, North Carolina • RB
Ricky Slade • Woodbridge, Virginia • RB
Taron Vincent • Baltimore, Maryland • DL
Micah Parson • Harrisburg, Pennsylvania • LB
Nik Bonitto • Fort Lauderdale, Florida • LB
Teradja Mitchell • Virginia Beach, Virginia • LB
Second Team
L'Christian "Blue" Smith • Huber Heights, Ohio • WR
Jackson Carman • Fairfield, Ohio • OL
Grant Gonya • Hudson, Ohio • K
Matthew Jones • Brooklyn, New York • DL
There's a bright future at Ohio State as Urban Meyer has proclaimed before, and a number of these guys listed above will help maintain it.
DIOUBATE DECOMMITS FROM PENN STATE, MAY VISIT OHIO STATE
We've been running down as many different defensive tackle options as possible over these last few months and as the days get nearer to signing day, what is old can become new again. That seems to be the case as it pertains to Ohio State and Philadelphia defensive lineman Karamo Dioubate, a four-star lineman who–until late Thursday afternoon–was committed to Penn State.
BREAKING: Ive confirmed that DT Karamo Dioubate is no longer committed to #PennState.
— Ryan Snyder (@RivalsSnyder) January 7, 2016
Dioubate, the country's 18th-ranked defensive tackle, has, according to Scout.com analyst Brian Dohn, maintained some contact with Ohio State and the Buckeyes are one potential option for a January visit.
A 6-foot-3, 280-pounder, Dioubate visited Columbus in early April and Larry Johnson Sr. has been by his school a few times to visit since. He committed to Penn State in August and although there's been no reasoning, he did take an official visit to Auburn last month and has been in contact with a couple of other schools, including Michigan State, about a January trip.
We'll see what more we can dig up on this situation as it unfolds.
MICHIGAN COMMITMENT VISIT YES OR NO?
Ohio State, Wednesday, offered Indianapolis (Ben Davis High School) defensive back and Michigan commit Chris Evans. A four-star athlete who committed to Michigan in June, Evans was hoping for an Ohio State offer in the summer but it never came and with that, all chances of seeing him flip from the Maize and Blue to the Scarlet and Gray seemed to draw to an end.
Then the Buckeyes offered and it seems, at least superficially, that things are up in the air.
From the IndyStar.com:
Evans, an electrifying and versatile back, was offered by Ohio State on Wednesday. Ben Davis coach Mike Kirschner said Thursday that Evans, a Michigan recruit, is planning to visit Ohio State on the weekend of Jan. 15.
Now, the rub: If Michigan wants to keep Evans, I would bet a donut that visit never happens. While Evans, at one time, considered Ohio State his "dream school" the idea of flipping to between these two schools this late in the process is a bit hard to swallow. If Michigan wants to keep Evans, and right now that seems to be the case, they're likely to apply a bit of pressure to make sure he doesn't take the trip to Columbus or risk being left in the cold. If they think they can shuffle their own deck and come out ahead by leaving Evans behind, Ohio State could very well see him next week.
That's what I'd do, were I in their shoes, which of course, I'm not.
Standard disclaimer applies: if he makes a visit, it's worth watching, so we'll know more soon. One catch? Michigan apparently sees Evans on offense, Ohio State is definitely interested in him (at least initially) at defensive back, so it could come down to what role he prefers.
