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.
HAPPENING WITH HASKINS?
I made a 247Sports.com crystal ball prediction about a month ago that suggested Potomac, Maryland, quarterback Dwayne Haskins would flip from Maryland to Ohio State.
In recent days, there's been a steady stream of fellow prognosticators who've joined me in that prediction, including notable picks from a pair of 247 national analysts, Steve Wiltfong and Barton Simmons, as well as Maryland's own insiders. So, bottom line: things continue to go well as far as the Buckeyes and Haskins are concerned.
So, if things are trending in Ohio State's direction, and with a pivotal few weeks remaining before signing day, what's the hold up on a flip? First, there's still the little matter of LSU, where Haskins is reportedly visiting this weekend. Haskins is related to LSU cornerback Kevin Toliver, and according to reports, the two have discussed playing together in college, but it seems that a good number of LSU-specific websites can't verify if his visit is happening.
What I'm thinking, and I'm just spit-balling here, is that if Haskins doesn't visit LSU this weekend, an Ohio State commitment could happen in its place. If he does visit LSU, then the odds are that we wait another week or two before any decision is made public. Either way, Maryland offered two different 2016 quarterbacks last night and it seems clear they've been informed Haskins isn't going to be in their class.
WILLIAMSON HEADING TO IMG
I hinted at it last Friday when we talked about Isaiah Pryor's transfer, but Monday it became official: Ohio State 2017 commitment Marcus Williamson, who's played the last three seasons at Westerville South High School, will transfer to the IMG Academy for his senior year of high school.
Williamson told 11W that the decision to leave home and head to Florida for a year wasn't easy, but he believes it will help him down the road. He visited the school a few weeks ago.
"I kind of hate to leave Ohio," Williamson said. "But in the grand scheme of things, it's only for a short while. But, I was impressed by what they've got going on down there. It's a boarding school, so it's just a complete immersion into being a student-athlete."
Ohio State is completely on board with the transfer and Williamson intends on enrolling early with the Buckeyes next January.
KOBACK HEARING FROM BUCKEYES AFTER BIG OUTING IN SAN ANTONIO
On Friday in San Antonio, hundreds of the country's best underclassmen met in the Alamodome to take part in the US Army All-American combine, where they ran, jumped and lifted their way into the DMs of college coaches and recruiting analysts. One of the players who caused quite a stir with his performance was Holland, Ohio's Bryant Koback, a 2017 running back at Springfield High School.
A 5-foot-11, 190-pounder, Koback–who has an early scholarship offer from Kentucky–turned on the jets and clocked a 4.35 on the indoor turf.
Fastest 40 so far at the #ArmyCombine is a 4.35 by 2017 Ohio RB Bryant Koback Live updates @247Sports >> https://t.co/a2b73C19op
— #ArmyBowl (@ArmyAllAmerican) January 8, 2016
Koback grew up a Buckeye fan on the outskirts of Toledo and he said that following his performance he got a Twitter follow and a few messages from Buckeyes' running backs' coach Tony Alford.
"Tony Alford was direct messaging me a bit," Koback said, noting that Ohio State and Miami of Ohio both reached out almost immediately after the combine. "(Ohio State) has stopped by the school before."
As a junior, Koback racked up 2,015 yards rushing and scored 31 touchdowns on his way to All-State honors. The Buckeyes are hoping to get him down to campus for a visit, according to the Blue Devils' star, but no date has been narrowed down.
With a commitment from a 2017 running back (Todd Sibley Jr.), Ohio State will likely take its time before offering another in-state prospect at the position, but Koback's versatility and ability to play in the secondary could also catch their eye.
NEW OFFERS TO A PAIR OF 2017 DEFENSIVE BACKS
Over the weekend, Ohio State assistant coach Tim Beck was active in Texas, offering a pair of defensive backs at prestigious Southlake Carroll, each of whom are committed to Big 12 programs: 2016 star Obi Eboh and 2017 star Robert Barnes. Eboh is committed to Texas and Barnes, the country's 16th-ranked 2017 safety, has been pledged to Oklahoma since September.
"I've been talking to Coach (Tim) Beck for a long time," Barnes told Eleven Warriors. "I just now heard about the offer, but was told they gave it a while back."
Eboh, as noted, is committed to Texas, and it's pretty unlikely that he'll end up taking the Buckeyes' offer seriously, especially as the timing of it doesn't give Beck and Ohio State much time to work with. With Damar Hamlin and Jordan Fuller visiting this weekend, the Buckeyes should have a better idea of what their needs truly are at defensive back early next week.
2019 RUNNING BACK OFFER
Ohio State did offer a running back who was at Friday's Army All-American combine: 2019 Miami Central star James Cook, the younger brother of Florida State's Dalvin Cook.
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, West Virginia and Tennessee have also offered the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder in the last week.
Stud 2019 back @thegreat__4 from state champion powerhouse Miami/Central at the @ArmyAllAmerican JR combine. pic.twitter.com/K9HWcHZ6Mg
— Ryan Bartow (@RyanBartow) January 7, 2016
Cook also made a decision about his future All-American game: he'll play in San Antonio in 2019. Yes, we're getting that far ahead.
