The Hurry Up: Dobbins May Look Elsewhere if Akers Commits, Michigan Pledge to Attend Friday Night Lights and Quarterback Guru to Host Junior High Satellite Camp

By Andrew Lind on July 20, 2016 at 7:15 pm
J.K. Dobbins
J.K. Dobbins
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The Hurry Up is your nightly dose of updates from the Ohio State football recruiting trail, keeping tabs on the latest from commits and targets from around the country.

Buckeyes Forced to Choose Between Cam Akers and J.K. Dobbins?

Ohio State commit J.K. Dobbins opened up with Bucknuts.com's Alex Gleitman ($) on Wednesday about the possibility of the Buckeyes adding another tailback to the potentially scholarship-restricted Class of 2017. The La Grange, Texas, native said that he's 100 percent committed, but would take other visits if five-star Cam Akers also chooses the Scarlet and Gray.

“From a competitive standpoint, no it wouldn't impact my decision,” Dobbins said. “But I would be taking other visits. Only if [Akers] commits, I will take other visits. I have been loyal to Ohio State. So, because of that, if another back commits, then it is only fair I visit other places.

“There's a lot of other schools that feel I'm good enough and don't need another back,” he continued, “so if I fell in love with a place, then I'd possibly decommit and go there if it's right for me. It's only because I'm really loyal to Ohio State.”

The 5-foot-9, 199-pounder listed Alabama, Florida and USC as potential landing spots should Akers add to the Buckeyes' already impressive haul. He did say, however, that adding another running back to the class doesn't necessarily mean he'd no longer sign with Ohio State.

Dobbins is ranked as the No. 27 overall and No. 2 all-purpose back in the class, while Akers is the ninth-ranked player overall and second-best pure running back. It should be noted, too, that Alabama has a pledge from No. 1-ranked running back Najee Harris and USC has a pledge from five-star running back Stephen Carr.

Meanwhile, one day after Akers said he wouldn't be attending Friday Night Lights, his father told Bucknut.com's Bill Kurelic ($) that he might still make the trip from Clinton, Mississippi.

“Never know,” Conni Akers said. “He just might pop up.”

With Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss and Tennessee hot on the trail for Akers' services, it would be huge for the Buckeyes and running back coach Tony Alford if the prospect and his family could figure out a way to get to Columbus this weekend.

Unable to Attend Friday Night Lights, USC Legacy Aims for Visit

Four-star safety Jaiden Woodbey attends the same high school as the most recent Ohio State commit from the Class of 2017, offensive guard Wyatt Davis, and was hoping the pair could attend this weekend's Friday Night Lights event. Davis will not attend due to it being the weekend of his grandfather's birthday, which left Woodbey in a bind.

Though the St. John Bosco (Bellflower, California) prospect unsuccessfully attempted to make other arrangements to get to Columbus, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound prospect expects to be on campus soon.

“My coach said we will go out to Ohio State in the next week or so,” Woodbey told Bucknuts.com's Bill Kurelic ($). “It will be after Friday Night Lights, but I don't know the exact date. I'm sure I'll get out there.”

Ranked the country's third-best safety and No. 31 overall prospect in the Class of 2018 by 247Sports Composite, Woodbey has an impressive list of scholarship offers, which includes the likes of Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and USC.

He has considered Ohio State his leader, however, since the Buckeyes offered him in mid-June.

Michigan Commit Leonard Taylor Back on Campus

Though he's been committed to Michigan for more than three months, many top prognosticators believe that Springfield, Ohio's, Leonard Taylor will still end up with Ohio State. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound defensive tackle was in Columbus for the Buckeyes' annual spring game, and took to Twitter on Tuesday night to confirm a return visit for Friday Night Lights.

Ohio State offered a scholarship to Taylor — whose uncle was a captain for the Buckeyes under legendary coach Woody Hayes — back in March, but he made a pledge to the Wolverines during their April 1 spring game. Taylor also has offers from programs such as Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, Notre Dame Tennessee, but it's clearly a two-horse race for the country's 22nd-ranked prospect in the Class of 2018.

MORGAN ELLISON LOOKS TO PROVE HIMSELF AT FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Pickerington, Ohio, Central's Morgan Ellison reaffirmed on Tuesday night his intentions to attend Friday Night Lights. The three-star running back has a handful of offers from Mid-American Conference schools like Toledo and Ohio University, as well as Football Championship Subdivision Youngstown State, but enters the camp with a chip on his shoulder.

Ellison is perhaps the most under-recruited prospect in the state, mainly because he has missed nearly all of the last two years of high school football thanks to a compound fracture he suffered in the second game of his sophomore campaign. Even so, the 6-foot, 217-pounder earned the highest SPARQ rating of any player at The Opening - Columbus Regional in May.

Ohio State has interest in Ellison — as do schools like Michigan State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin — but it's clear that programs are waiting to see more live-game action before they offer.

“They want to see the first couple of games,” Ellison told Cleveland.com's Bill Landis. “That's what a lot of colleges want … The first couple of games, I've got to take off. That's the word that I'm going to use. I have to take off this season.”

Depending on how the aforementioned Akers-Dobbins situation unfolds, Ellison might find himself with an offer to play for the hometown Buckeyes before all is said and done.

Buckeyes Looking to Load Up on Defensive Front

Though Ohio State already has two of the country's top defensive tackles from the Class of 2017 committed in Bishop Gorman's (Las Vegas, Nevada) Haskell Garrett and Winton Woods' (Cincinnati) Jerron Cage, the Buckeyes continue to show strong interest in South Jordan, Utah, Bingham's Jay Tufele.

According to Bucknuts.com's Bill Kurelic ($), Ohio State, Michigan and Utah are the top three current choices for the 6-foot-3, 294-pound Tufele. He also told Scout.com's Blair Anglo during a camp in Utah last month that he is eyeing official visits to Columbus and Ann Arbor during the season.

“[My relationship with Ohio State] is awesome,” Tufele said. “Coach [Larry] Johnson flew out just to see me. Me and him talked for a while. It was just awesome.

“Ohio State, you know, they really been up there. They won a national championship, and they're thirsty to get another one because their recruiting class is big.”

One hundred percent of Crystal Ball projections have the four-star prospect ending up at Oregon. However, like Ellison before him, one can only imagine that things will heat up in the race for Tufele's services during his senior campaign.

Pair of 2018 Prospects Earn Offers

Still searching for its first commitment from the Class of 2018, Ohio State handed out scholarship offers to two heavily regarded prospects this week. On Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, respectively, offense tackle William Barnes and wide receiver Amari Burney announced on Twitter that the Buckeyes are the latest to vie for their services.

Hailing from Apopka, Florida, the 6-foot-4, 290-pound Barnes is the 16th-ranked offensive tackle in the class, according to 247 Composite. Clearwater (Florida) Central Catholic's Burney, meanwhile, is the No. 22 overall receiver on the board.

Schools such as Florida, Florida State and Miami are all-in on both prospects, though Michigan has also thrown its hat in the ring for Burney.

He spoke with Maize n Brew in May, and said that location isn't a factor in his decision-making.

“Distances doesn't matter,” the 6-foot-2, 210-pound prospect said. “If the school puts interest in me, I'll put it in them no matter the distance.”

Finding the Next David Sills

By now, we all know the story of the 13-year-old quarterback fromer USC head coach Lane Kiffen offered a scholarship. Though he ended up at West Virginia as a wide receiver, David Sills always be remembered for being among the youngest football players to receive a scholarship offer from a major college program.

Fast forward six years later, self-proclaimed quarterback guru George Whitfield is hoping to make that dream a reality for more sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade athletes.

He is hosting the Whitefield Showcase at Cathedral Catholic High School on Saturday, July 23, and coaches from top programs like Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, UCLA and Washington are expected to be in attendance.

High schoolers, meanwhile, will camp on Sunday.

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