The Hurry Up: Simmons Opens Up About Commitment, The Opening Regionals Hit Miami and More

By Jeremy Birmingham on March 6, 2016 at 7:45 pm
Antjuan Simmons at Ohio State in November.
Antjuan Simmons
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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.

MORE ON DOBBINS' COMMITMENT

Ohio State once again shook up the recruiting world today when they landed four-star running back JK Dobbins, who checks in as the nation's fourth-best running back. The Buckeyes weren't surprised by the commitment, necessarily, but Dobbins has not visited the school yet (he'll do so at the end of the month,) so the timing was a bit earlier than expected.

How did they pull it off, in only two weeks since he was offered no less?

"Tony Alford is relentless," one source said. Added another, "We recruited him as an entire staff."

The question that many have asked is whether or not Dobbins' commitment will stick, but the Buckeyes aren't worried about that right now and neither should anyone else. Over the course of the next 10 months, there will be a number of twists and turns in the class and there's not a single staff in America more prepared to adjust at a moment's notice.

In the article I wrote on Dobbins' impact, I said that "barring something significant happening, Dobbins and (Todd) Sibley will be the two backs in the class come next February," and the latter, a Buckeye commit for almost a year now, responded to the addition of Dobbins curiously on Twitter.

I say "curiously" because Sibley was unequivocally aware that Ohio State would, at some point in this recruiting cycle, take another running back. He said it's the timing of the pledge that has him a bit taken back.

"That's interesting," Sibley said of Dobbins' commitment. "I was expecting (another running back to join), just not this soon."

It didn't take long for the Akron star to warm up to the idea of Dobbins joining the fray.

AKERS HEADS TO OHIO STATE SUNDAY NIGHT

One of the players on our first "Heat Check" board for 2017, running back Cam Akers, will make his way north today for his second visit to Ohio State despite Dobbins' commitment. 

The Mississippi four-star, the country's third-ranked running back, was in New Orleans today for the Rivals Camp Series where he was named MVP of the running back group.

Akers talked to Rivals about his decision to decommit from Alabama, specifically talking about whether or not the home state schools at Ole Miss and Mississippi State will have a chance to land him and the distance between Columbus and Clinton.

"Definitely Coach Meyer and Coach Alford," Akers told Rivals when asked what he likes about the Buckeyes. "They recruit me well. Coach Meyer, great coach, one of the greatest."

The visit to Columbus will take two days and will include Ohio State's first spring practice, so the 5-foot-11, 210-pounder will get a big dose of what Buckeye football is all about. Ohio State will have a number of schools to fight off if they want to land Akers, but with a second trip to Columbus–both on his own dime–it's clear that both sides are very interested in the other. That said, the addition of Dobbins today will certainly throw a wrench into Akers' recruitment, because at this point–again barring something significant–there's very little chance he winds up a Buckeye. 

Watch closely the puzzle pieces here. Ohio State will not stop recruiting Akers, even though it's unlikely he would leave the south to begin with, because we've all seen how much things can change on short notice.

SIMMONS' EPIPHANY LED TO BUCKEYE PLEDGE

Since Antjuan Simmons' commitment to Ohio State on Tuesday, we've heard from a number of different people about the pledge. Today, we'll hear from Simmons himself.

The country's 28th-ranked outside linebacker (for now), hinted last Monday that a big decision could be coming, but–because of how early in his recruitment the cryptic message game–it may have been overlooked.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder says that epiphany is what led to his commitment.

"I was already thinking on it pretty heavily, and I pretty much knew Ohio State was the place for me but I wanted to visit other schools and stuff to make sure I was 110 percent sure," Simmons said of that cryptic tweet. "I got overwhelmed with all the places I was gonna have to visit and how I was gonna have to focus on recruiting during my most important season of high school football so I decided to just commit and just focus on everything else, you know?"

Simmons had not hidden his feelings for Ohio State, but as we've mentioned, it seems like a lot of people ignored the signs that the Buckeyes were close to his heart. Kerry Coombs, was not one of those people. The Ann Arbor resident said Coombs' reaction reflected his future coach's confidence that Columbus was where he belonged.

"Coach Coombs was pumped," Simmons said. "He always said I was gonna be a Buckeye. (The rest of the coaches) were really happy about it! Mikey (Weber) and Michael (Jordan) sent me a message congratulating me and welcoming me to the family."

Simmons said he first felt sure that Ohio State was the place for him about a month ago, but ironically, a trip to Michigan two weeks ago may have helped solidify his decision.

"In a way," Simmons said when he was asked if the recent Michigan trip impacted the timing of his commitment. "I just got a different vibe from them, you know? I already know everything there is to know about that school, all they really had to do was develop relationships. They're all great guys, and I don't take anything from them and I wouldn't tell another kid not to go there it's a great program, but didn't feel like the place for me."

Simmons wants to be back on campus with the Buckeyes for the spring game in mid-April. He's looking forward to a chance to help build the future of the Ohio State football program.

"I want to be a college coach, or a recruiter or a strength coach, so I gotta learn how to work the game, you know? I'm already recruiting a few guys," he said. "I'm going to try to get down for the spring game so I can do some recruiting and hanging with the coaches."

‘TREGATRON’ STILL SAYS BUCKEYES AND GATORS

In the world of high school football recruiting right now, there are few players who carry the cachet that St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Trevon Grimes does. He's as highly regarded as anyone in the country because of his immense athletic talent and team-first attitude, and not just among coaches and analysts, either.

From USATodayHSS.com:

Ask other players who impressed at Sunday’s Nike The Opening football combine, and there’s an immediate response.

Trevon Grimes.

Here are other ways to know the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver from Fort Lauderdale’s St. Thomas Aquinas is special: He’s tall at 6-4, powerfully built at 201 pounds and smart.

Grimes, not surprisingly, was one of the players selected for Nike's The Opening Sunday at the Miami regional.

He continues to say the Buckeyes are the team to beat, but is still leaving the door open for another team to make a move.

“Ohio State has the lead, but nothing is impossible,” said Grimes, who is ranked No 3o overall in the Class of 2017 by Rivals. “Whatever school makes me feel comfortable – that’s one of the biggest aspects that will bump a school up.”

The Buckeyes have made Grimes a priority for two years and are hoping that pays off in a commitment from the country's second-ranked wide receiver.

THE OPENING INVITES: MIAMI

Trevon Grimes was invited to The Opening, who else earned the honor in Miami? Here are the names that impressed enough to warrant a selection.

Grimes is the most obvious of the Ohio State targets on the list, but a few other names could be worth paying attention to depending on numbers and potential visits. It's the second straight year that Grimes has been selected, but he opted out of The Opening finals in Oregon last summer for personal reasons.

Vandarious Cowan is a big-time linebacker/defensive end prospect, committed to Florida State, but he's been a target of the Buckeyes and has received a couple of visits from Ohio State coaches in recent months. 

Jerry Jeudy may be one of the country's most underrated wide receivers and he's been a guy that has been high on the Buckeyes' list for a while, though Alabama has been the frontrunner for him for months. He's very close to Calvin Ridley and the Tide have the edge there for a reason.

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