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.
RIEP'S RAPID RISE CONTINUES
It appears that every time you blink, Cincinnati Colerain 2017 defensive back Amir Riep has been offered another scholarship.
Last Friday it was Oregon, then Notre Dame.
Yesterday it was Iowa, Pitt, Florida and finally, Oklahoma.
Now sitting at 24 offers, Riep has been one of the hottest prospects in the country in the last month, and he says that it's something he's worked his whole life for.
"I've been working for this," Riep told 11W. "Since I was like four-years old, but it's getting kind of crazy."
When Ohio State offered the 6-foot-tall, 180-pounder at the end of January, the crystal balls in the Buckeyes' favor began rolling in, and they've not stopped. Currently, the predictions say 92-percent in the direction of the Scarlet and Gray for the four-star prospect.
Earlier this evening, 247sports.com's Steve Wiltfong broke the news on some upcoming visits for the Cincinnati product ($). According to Wiltfong, the plan is to check out Indiana this weekend and then Penn State and Michigan State the following weekend. Riep also plans on making trips to Knoxville and South Bend in March, with the Notre Dame visit set to take place on the 19th.
Rumors that an early decision could come for Riep began circulating toward the beginning of last week, and according to people I've spoken with that seems to still be the most likely scenario, despite the influx of new and major offers.
If all of these visits do end up happening, it could potentially alter any sort of timeline for a commitment. However, I continue to believe this is a matter of when, not if, for Ohio State and Riep.
SERMON VISIT UPDATE
One of the Buckeyes' top 2017 running back targets, Marietta, Georgia's Trey Sermon, was on campus at Ohio State yesterday and today and it appears that the visit–despite a snowy day in Columbus–went very well.
"I had a great time," Sermon told 11W of the visit. "The snow didn't impact it at all."
Spending most of his time with running back coach Tony Alford, Sermon–the country's seventh-ranked running back in 2017–got a chance to explore Ohio State's campus and get a better feel for the school's academic side.
The Buckeyes offered Sermon following an excellent performance at last year's Friday Night Lights and though some expected a potential early decision was coming, the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder told Eleven Warriors last week he would not make a school choice until he took official visits in his senior season.
SCOUT.COM EVALUATION OF JEFFERY OKUDAH
Ohio State has a commitment from the second-ranked safety in the 2017 recruiting class–Isaiah Pryor–and they remain one of the schools at the top of the list for Jeffery Okudah, the top-ranked player at the position.
Today, Scout.com took a look at what makes Okudah such a sought-after talent.
He will likely project out as a jumbo safety by the time he is done growing, but has the coverage skills and experience as a junior laying extensively at cornerback. He is long and muscular with great explosion. He can tackle well in space and tracks down faster backs with relative ease. Good coverage abilities as well as he spent a lot of time at cornerback and has the ability to play one-on-one coverage against some of the top receivers in the nation.
As noted, one of the real intriguing aspects of Okudah's talent is his ability to play anywhere in the secondary, which has become a major key for the Buckeyes and the style of defense they play.
Okudah told 11W in January that he's got plans for a few trips to Columbus upcoming.
"I'm coming in for the spring game," Okudah said. "Then maybe again in the summer, and God-willing, for an official visit."
BENJAMIN PLANS OHIO STATE VISIT
While Trey Sermon left Ohio State today, another 2017 running back is planning a visit to check out the Buckeyes.
Wylie, Texas four-star Eno Benjamin tweeted that he'll be heading to Columbus as part of a spring tour around the Midwest.
Here is the list of my next few visits coming up! #Enjoy pic.twitter.com/tyGwl7JMoH
— Eno Benjamin (@eno_benjamin5) February 15, 2016
Benjamin, 5-foot-10 and 204 pounds, is the 12th-ranked tailback in the nation and has offers from 19 schools, including Houston, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Northwestern, Duke and others.
