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.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON RASHARD LAWRENCE
Just over a month ago, Ohio State's coaching staff sat and waited as one of their top defensive line targets, Ellenwood, Georgia's Antwuan Jackson, prepared to announce his college decision. The Buckeyes had put in a ton of time in recruiting Jackson, the country's seventh-ranked defensive tackle. When he chose Auburn, there was a very real disappointment from the coaches at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center; specifically Larry Johnson.
Friday morning, the Ohio State coaching staff will sit and wait as their top remaining defensive line target, Monroe, Louisiana's Rashard Lawrence, prepares to announce his college decision.
— Rashard Lawrence (@Rashard_99) January 14, 2016
There are a number of reasons that Lawrence could pick Ohio State from Neville High School's commons, and the Buckeyes–specifically Johnson–have taken what was an almost certain LSU victory and turned it into a toss-up between the two NCAA powers.
The Buckeyes can offer a number of things that LSU can not, and as Johnson has built the relationship with Lawrence and his family there have been a few major points that Ohio State has hit on. Where do the Buckeyes "win" against LSU?
I'll call it "The 3S Approach"
- Scheme: Ohio State's 4-3 defensive look fits Lawrence's talents well and they've contrasted that to the expected shift LSU, under new defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, will make to a 3-4. While LSU is certainly not stating outright that they're going to move to a full-time 3-4 and instead will offer up multiple looks, it's reasonable to conclude that eventually it's a 3-4 because that's what Aranda has run in the past.
- Stability: It'd be somewhat irresponsible to not mention that, were it not for a push from loyal fans and a couple late wins in the conference, Les Miles was going to be fired at the end of the 2015 season. If the Tigers come out struggling on offense again in 2016 and don't make significant leaps forward in the SEC, Miles' job security has to be considered. Urban Meyer will coach at Ohio State as long as he wants to and the job Johnson has done in Columbus, combined with his career's legacy, means he's not going anywhere until he wants to, either.
- Spots: Ohio State's 2016 football team will be without the Buckeyes' top three defensive tackles from 2015 (Adolphus Washington, Tommy Schutt and Joel Hale) and if you remove Joey Bosa's occasional rotation to the interior line, there are a lot of openings in Columbus. The Buckeyes have Malik Barrow in their 2016 class slated to play inside but there's never been any doubt that Meyer wanted another big-bodied defensive tackle and there's no one like the 6-foot-3, 305-pound Lawrence on the roster as it is currently constructed. LSU's 2015-2016 roster lists 16 defensive linemen with only two seniors and the Tigers have commitments from two Louisiana defensive tackles (four-stars Edwin Alexander and Glen Logan) ranked inside the Top 17 nationally. They are also the presumed runaway front-runners for four-stars Stephon Taylor and D'Andre Christmas-Giles who are also both from Louisiana. LSU commitment Caleb Roddy, at 6-foot-4 and almost 260-pounds, could very well end up an inside guy as well. I have no doubt that Lawrence is a higher priority on LSU's board than any of those other players but it's hard to look at the two situations and not see plainly that the Buckeyes have a much greater need for his pledge.
If you put those factors together, combined with Lawrence's two visits to Columbus, his relationship with players like Dwayne Haskins Jr. and others it seems like Ohio State has plenty of reason to feel optimistic. Yet, there's not been a single moment when that optimism has been anything meager at best. Why?
As we've said in the past, Meyer has never signed a player from Louisiana in his head coaching career. Not when he was at Bowling Green, not when he was at Utah or Florida and not since he's arrived at Ohio State. Louisiana is a state that's very loyal to the Tigers, even though the northern part of the state isn't quite as invested in the Bayou Bengals as the rest of it. Lawrence's recruitment has been a priority for LSU for a long time and he made a focus for LSU defensive line coach Ed Orgeron. The Tigers have struggled in Northern Louisiana the last few years compared to the other parts of the state but this year have commitments from Devin White (Springhill), Cameron Lewis (Monroe) and Andraez "Greedy" Williams (Shreveport), so they've done a good job cementing their efforts in all of the Pelican State, not just their more traditional areas like Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Lawrence was planning on making a decision without taking an official visit to LSU because, being from the state, he'd been there "enough" that one wasn't warranted, but chose to do so last weekend. In my mind, that happens for one of two reasons: he's either convinced he wanted to go to LSU and chose to head there for their big recruiting weekend or he was struggling to make a decision and needed to re-evaluate what LSU had to offer versus what Ohio State has to offer. Since I've been told no decision has been relayed to either side, even after Miles and LSU made their final in-home pitch with Lawrence Wednesday night, I'm of the mindset that he felt it necessary to go and re-examine how LSU stacked up. It certainly doesn't hurt the Tigers that his last trip to Ohio was in October.
I want to believe that Rashard Lawrence will choose Ohio State because I've felt all along that the Buckeyes have done everything possible to reel him in.
That said, in my gut, even with all the reasons he could pick Meyer and the Scarlet and Gray, I just don't see Lawrence leaving Louisiana. Johnson deserves a ton of credit for making this such a race but I think he picks LSU based on the lack of credible intel suggesting the opposite.
HARRISON CANCELS REMAINING OFFICIALS, DECISION COMING?
Ohio State target Malik Harrison was set to take a pair of official visits before deciding on where he will be playing his college ball, but those trips – to Michigan State and Syracuse – have been canceled.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound athlete was offered by the Buckeyes back in early September and the Columbus native made the short trip for an official visit last weekend. Ohio State has been recruiting Harrison as a linebacker, but he's expressed interest in playing wide receiver.
In speaking with Eleven Warriors, the Walnut Ridge star indicated that he is "just ready to make a decision." While no official announcement date has been set, initial reports had the three-star pegged to announce as early as this weekend. However, a national signing day declaration appears to be more likely.
Harrison has also taken official visits to Wisconsin and Indiana.
HARBAUGH MAKES FIRST MOVES IN OHIO
Michigan did not try to make any in-roads into the Buckeye State in the 2016 class but Jim Harbaugh and company went to Northeast Ohio Wednesday and extended two offers to a pair of the region's most versatile athletes.
First, Michigan's Mike Zordich offered Warren G. Harding star Lynn Bowden, who lines up at quarterback for the Raiders but could play any number of positions at the next level. Bowden, a four-star prospect, is the country's 23rd-ranked athlete.
From there, Zordich, who hails from Youngstown himself, headed to the Cleveland area and offered Maple Heights' Javonte Richardson, a four-star prospect who could play offense or defense in college.
Neither Bowden or Richardson have an offer from the Buckeyes and if either were to receive one they're probably a few months away from doing so, so Michigan's timing is key as they hope to build relationships before Ohio State would consider moving in. If I had to posit a guess, I'd think that Bowden was the more likely of the pair to snag a scholarship from the Buckeyes.
Richardson is reportedly very anxious to get an offer from Michigan State so perhaps the timing of the Wolverines' offer could help them keep the talented 6-foot-3, 200-pounder away from both of their in-conference rivals.
JAMAR KING PREPARES FOR ALABAMA VISIT
One of Ohio State's options at defensive tackle if Rashard Lawrence selects LSU will be making a big official visit to Alabama this weekend. Mendocino College (Ukiah, California) defensive lineman Jamar King will head to the University of Alabama, one week after making an official visit with the Buckeyes.
Originally scheduled to visit Ohio State next weekend, King told Eleven Warriors that he stopped in Columbus last week because he was home in Detroit visiting family and decided it made more sense to check out the Buckeyes then. He had an excellent trip to Ohio State and said he felt at home on campus.
"Ohio State made me feel at home," King said. "They really made me feel welcome. They have a beautiful campus and I got to hang out with the defensive lineman."
For King, who was offered by the Buckeyes during his visit, the trip to Bama is a big one. The Crimson Tide were the first major school to offer him and although he's originally from Detroit, he has a number of family members living in Alabama.
King has a scheduled visit to Central Florida planned for the weekend of Jan. 29, but he told 11W that a decision could come next week after he returns from Tuscaloosa.
NEW 2017 DEFENSIVE BACK OFFERS
While Michigan was making offers available in Ohio, the Buckeyes were getting their own word out to a couple of big-time prospects as well, although one of them was offered a while back, apparently.
Just found out today that I've been had the Ohio state offer but I never new... Just wanted to put it out there pic.twitter.com/bwihyYjtpn
— Devon Hunter (@devonhunter11) January 20, 2016
That tweet is from Chesapeake, Virginia, athlete Devon Hunter, a four-star athlete who projects as a defensive back at the next level.
Hunter, the country's 50th-ranked overall 2017 player, told Eleven Warriors in April he was hoping for an Ohio State offer: he apparently wasn't informed that he had one.
"Ohio State sends me a lot of mail, but I've not really talked to them much," the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder who prefers to play wide receiver said. "I hope they offer, that would make my day."
Hunter visited Maryland and told me that his focus now is to create relationships with Ohio State's staff and that he hopes to arrange a visit.
The second defensive back who added a Buckeye offer yesterday was Stanford Samuels III, from Hollywood, Florida's Flanagan High School.
Just received an offer from THE hio State #Shhhh #BuckeyeNation
— Stanford Samuels III (@SSIII_) January 21, 2016
Samuels is the fourth-ranked cornerback in 2017's class and, at 6-foot-2 and 175-pounds, fits perfectly the mold that Ohio State has recently been seeking on the outer edges of their defense.
Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida State, Georgia and South Carolina are among the almost 40 offers that Samuels has already earned. He was a second team All-American selection on MaxPreps.com.
